"Right Here Waiting" Revised Edition 2013 © natsu_no_sora
Ouran High School Host Club 2002 © Hatori Bisco
I do not own anything. Support the mangaka by buying her works.
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Chapter 04: One Last Look
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The graduation of the seniors had ended.
It came and went in a daze for Haruhi. She could not believe that Kyouya and Tamaki were finally graduating. Only the three of them, she and the twins, remained in the host club. Will the host club still be able to continue? She wondered vaguely on how they would manage, now that the founders had graduated.
But it seemed that her friends were less concerned for the future of the host club as they busily fumbled around her; putting making up on her face and fixing her dress. She was disguised as a girl [duh?], just like in every party they had attended.
"Guys, don't overdo it, please," she said as she tried to sit still.
"Don't worry. We know what best suits you, just leave it to us," Kaoru grinned. He put down a make-up brush and inspected her face like a cynic.
"With this dress, you can wear doll shoes rather than high heels," Hikaru explained. He was adjusting the frilly skirt high on her waist. "We made it like this because we know how clumsy and robotic you are when wearing heels."
"Gee, thanks," she rolled her eyes but she was grateful. She didn't hate wearing heels but her feet just didn't get along with those.
"Here," Hikaru threw her a box of shoes. She caught it before it hit her face. She opened it and a pair of white ballerina flats greeted her. Both had a huge pink bow on top that match the soft pink color of the dress the twins made her wear. Or more like, forced her to wear.
"I feel like wearing a pastry," she muttered. She slipped the shoes and find it very comfortable, like cushions to her soles.
The host club had been invited to Kyouya's graduation party in Ootori Mansion. Of course, they were invited. They were Kyouya's friends, after all. That was the main reason why she was currently suffering in the hands of the Hitachiin brothers.
The twins generously or sadistically, depend on how you look at things, made efforts to kidnap her and brought her to their mansion to play dress-up.
They were almost done, just patching up a few loose details and they were ready to go.
"Not bad," Kaoru commented with a smirk as she stood up from hours of sitting on the high chair in the twins' closet.
Haruhi, sporting an exclusively designed cocktail dress with flaring skirt, looked exasperated. But she had to admit, the twins did a nice job to her hair and make-up. Actually, it was a wig that looked exactly like her old hairstyle in middle school. Hikaru curled it while Kaoru did a light make-up that brought out youthfulness on her rather than looking mature.
"We're all set."
They took her arms cheerfully and led her out of the mansion. It was a few minutes after seven in the evening and they were running a bit late for the party.
The moment they were inside the limo, Haruhi's gut began churning.
All day, she'd been thinking of how to hi-jack the shadow king and have a talk with him, preferably in coherent sentences and not monosyllabic conversation.
The car moved quietly and steadily. But somehow, it made Haruhi more nervous. The twins were both deep in their own thoughts and were unusually quiet, which didn't help her at all.
She felt something wasn't right, like something's about to go wrong. Her brain told her to stop the car, get out and go home; screw the damn party. But her stubborn heart urged her to go on and see Kyouya. Maybe she can snatch him some time in the party.
Her heart increased its beating and she nearly backed out. But it was too late; the car stopped and they were already in front of a majestic white mansion.
"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Hikaru said as he got out of the car. Haruhi wished she could say that, too. He assisted her and she mumbled her thanks. Kaoru followed closely behind.
They didn't go inside the white washed double doors like she expected. The twins ushered her towards the side of the mansion where the dirt path was lit on the ground by small lamps which emanated pretty soft glows. It went all the way down to a garden. An insanely huge garden.
Damn rich bastard.
Haruhi could only hang her mouth as she took in the sight.
The garden was beautiful, like a paradise on earth. Glowing lanterns scattered around, illuminating the party in brilliant lights. Canopies bloomed overhead and coffee tables where set up neatly.
The guests were busy socializing in quiet buzzing chatters which eventually faded as soon as they noticed the arrival of the latecomers.
There were prominent business personalities and some celebrities present in the party but all of them turned their heads to the gorgeous petite girl clad in a simple dress, yet somehow, she managed to look stunning.
She was young and the way her eyes flashed, they knew she was intelligent. But the way she shifted slightly and unconsciously cringed closer to one of the twins, they knew she was shy and innocent. Nevertheless, the ambient coming from her was like a magnet that pulled the audience toward her.
She was the princess every party has; the fairest of them all.
Haruhi's cheeks heated up; she realized all eyes were on her. She took a deep breath and held on to Hikaru's sleeve. They walked on, ignoring the glances.
"You're late." A blonde guy in a dashing black tuxedo said, crossing his arms with a look of displease.
"Ah, Tono!" The twins greeted him.
"Why are you late? Where's Haru-" Tamaki choked as his eyes fell upon the girl of his fantasies.
"Good evening, senpai." Haruhi gave him an innocent smile that nearly sent the blonde's brain to spontaneous combustion.
"H-Haruhi!" He blushed from the roots of his hair down to his neck.
"Congratulations on your graduation," she said.
"Oh. Uh..." he cleared his throat, trying to maintain his composure, and he transformed into his Prince Charming mode. He took her hand and kissed it earnestly. "Thank you, my beautiful lady."
Haruhi, who was used to all his antics, suppressed her eyes from rolling.
"Would you like a drink, my lady?" Tamaki asked softly, just like the way he hosted to his clients.
"I like that," she answered with another smile. She decided to humor him to prevent unnecessary drama, which would definitely attract attention to them.
Tamaki offered his arm and she looped her skinny arm obligatorily. Before turning away from the twins, the king shot them a look that probably said: Damn you! Why did you make her too pretty?!
The little devils only had identical smug smirks.
The friendly couple arrived at a table where two familiar figures were sitting.
"Haru-chan?" The smaller person looked up from eating his cake.
"Hunny-senpai, it's nice to see you!" Haruhi smiled widely as she recognized him. Hunny-senpai jumped off the couch and gave her a choking bear hug.
"Haru-chan! Haru-chan! You're so cute!" He squealed like a delighted baby.
"Thank you," she replied once he released her throat. "Ah, Mori-senpai! It's nice to see you, too." She smiled at the quiet giant.
Mori-senpai gave her a rare smile and nodded in acknowledgement.
They sat around the table and they were joined by the twins a few moments later. They were immersed in casual conversations when a certain cold presence brought a shiver down Haruhi's almost bare back.
She knew it even before she turned her head to look. It was the presence her body grew accustomed to, like every fiber of her body had memorized that particular presence and it was right there behind her.
"Kyouya! How're you doing?" Tamaki beamed at his best friend.
"I'm fine," his cool voice sounded tired. Haruhi resisted the urge to look behind her as she tried to calm her suddenly-chaotic heart.
"Congratulations on your graduation, senpai!" The twin chorused.
"Thank you," he said it like a boring mantra.
"Kyo-chan, have you seen Haru-chan already? Look, look! She's super cute!"
And that comment from the little guy made a strong tug in his heart. No, he hadn't seen Haruhi all day. He was sure she was there at the graduation ceremony but he hadn't seen her in the ocean of people.
Haruhi froze for a split second. She didn't want to be rude so she turned her head and couldn't help but looked into the mystic gray eyes of one Ootori Kyouya.
"Good evening, senpai. Congratulations on your graduation," she smiled shyly; the smile that could melt through anything.
The fatigue from the day's event and from the on-going party's constant demand of attention, Kyouya's head was beginning to pound and his patience were almost burned out. But that small, sincere smile from her seemed to wash it all away and revitalize him magically.
Hunny-senpai was wrong. Haruhi wasn't cute. She was drop dead gorgeous. Kyouya stared into her angelic face, wondering why the hell he broke up with her. But then again, his inner demon was there to remind him why.
He cleared his throat quietly. "Thank you, Haruhi. You look beautiful tonight," he said coolly.
The instinct to pinch her cheeks when she blushed was so overwhelming he had to put his hands in his pocket to prevent it from traveling towards her cheeks. Damn, it was a habit very hard to erase from his system.
"Join us, Kyouya!" Tamaki pulled him over and he plopped down on the empty seat beside Haruhi.
What a tough luck, he inwardly grimaced. Not that he didn't want to sit beside her; it's what he might do to her that worries him. He might unconsciously hold her hand...
Haruhi swallowed. Why did it have to be beside her? But then, she remembered her father's nagging voice: He must have a reason for breaking up with you. Something big.
Some force was really pushing it. She took a glass of fresh juice and pushed it to Kyouya's direction without saying anything.
The bespectacled guy glanced at her. "Thanks," he muttered. He began fiddling with glass absentmindedly; feeling the cold moist in his palm, while watching his friends talked. He tried refusing to acknowledge the petite girl beside him for the sake of his sanity. But Haruhi was simply very hard to ignore.
Kyouya sighed in defeat and turned to her casually. "How are you?" He asked in a low voice.
Haruhi almost jumped in her sit. He sounded like her Kyouya, not the Shadow King Kyouya. She blinked then smiled, "I'm fine."
He nodded. "The dress suits you," he said which he immediately regretted as Haruhi blushed again. His hand was itching to touch her warm cheeks.
"The twins made it," she mumbled.
He nodded again. Well, that's to be expected.
The rest of gang was too preoccupied to notice anything unusual between the two.
This wasn't the ideal place Haruhi preferred for her and Kyouya to talk. It was too risky. But this was probably the best she could get. Her friends were too busy blubbering and no one's paying attention to them. They could talk for a few minutes.
Gathering all her courage, Haruhi took a deep breath. "Kyouya... what happened to us?" Her voice was the softiest cotton.
Kyouya felt the two thin strings that held an avalanche of his emotions threatening to snap from hearing those words.
She didn't look at him like he was. He wanted to take her hand in his under the table so badly, just like they used to whenever they find themselves in boring parties.
What happened to us? He didn't know, anymore.
"I know I said I won't force myself to you. But what we have - had was too precious for me to let go. At least, not yet." Haruhi finally met his eyes. Her heart was nowhere near calm but she got to do this.
"Haruhi," he started. But apparently, she still got something to say.
"You said you enjoyed the times you were with me. I, too, I enjoyed it so much. You said at one point in our messed up relationship, you did love me," she paused and sighed. "Sometimes I can't read you, Kyouya. You suddenly gone cold and start building walls I can't break through. But you know what?" She looked at him expectantly.
Kyouya could only stare at her. The avalanche he was keeping at bay rolled freely over him and he could hardly blink.
She continued, "I learned the meaning of love from you, not from the dictionary. Call me too assuming, but what you showed me was not something at one point, it was the whole point. How many times did we desperately hide our relationship to keep from it crumbling? How many times did you held me in your arms? How many times did you say you love me? It was not at one point, was it?" Haruhi's milk chocolate eyes burned into his gray ones. "The relationship we had was not a lie. I know you know it. I've seen it your eyes the whole time."
Everything she said was worth a thousand stabs to his heart. She knew where to hit the right spot.
"Our worlds are light years apart. But it's not a valid reason for a certain Ootori Kyouya to give up now, is it? He isn't called a Shadow King for nothing," Haruhi smiled. She searched his eyes behind the glasses and said, "There's a deeper reason why you broke up with me."
Kyouya mentally smacked his head. He dreaded this moment. Of course, Haruhi knew. She wasn't dumb. But he didn't anticipate this to be so soon. He looked at her with an expression of: please don't make this harder for me than it is.
"Tell me," she insisted softly with that cute worried face of hers.
Kyouya was left hanging on by a thread and a choice: to tell her the truth or to lie again. But one look at her innocent face, he didn't know if he can slip another lie. God, why do I have to fell in love with this irresistible woman? He mentally face-palmed.
He wanted her and it was obviously clear that she wanted him, too. If he tells her the truth, she will surely put up a fight for them. But what about his father's threat? What about her dreams? Then again, what about them? Kyouya's mind was going haywire. He didn't know what to do. This was probably the biggest rip-your-hair-off dilemma he'd ever face.
For a moment, he battled with his mind and heart, between what is right (in his father's eyes) and what they both want. Then with unexplained bubbling anger, he thought: Fuck this!
He threw away all his logical thinking and took Haruhi's hand. Finally, finally, he could feel her soft, warm hand again. And he wasn't about to let it go ever again. To hell with his father. He didn't care anymore; as long as Haruhi's safe in his arms.
Haruhi flinched in surprise. Kyouya's hand was warm and it sent a jolt of electricity to her hypersensitive skin. It felt nice and she missed it. His eyes were smoldering liquid silver as he stared into her eyes, as casual as possible; their friends were just a foot away. Her breathing unconsciously became faster. She stared back him, anticipating and fearing his answer.
"Haruhi, I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I'm so sorry, I-"
"There you are, Kyouya." A cold, menacing voice cut him off.
All of the occupants on the table stopped talking at once and looked. Kyouya and Haruhi dropped their hands reluctantly.
Ootori Yoshio stood there with all his glory and power. Though he was smiling, it was sinister. Haruhi's arms suddenly had a goose bump attack.
The host club greeted him politely.
"I trust you're having a good time," he said. His eyes landed on Haruhi. "Ah, you must be the special student Fujioka Haruhi, it's nice to finally meet you. I've been hearing a lot of-"
Kyouya forcefully cleared his throat, "Do you need me for something, Father?" He asked politely but fiercely. He stepped up, purposely blocking Haruhi from his father's line of vision.
"Yes, yes," Yoshio smirked then turned to the hosts, "Do you mind if I borrow Kyouya for a moment?"
"No, of course not, sir! Busy men we are, aren't we?" Tamaki said.
"Do enjoy the night, gentlemen. Lady," he nodded to Haruhi, who bowed awkwardly in her sit.
Yoshio motioned his son to follow and walked away. Kyouya sighed exasperatedly. He waved dismissively to his friends and gave Haruhi his familiar we'll-talk-later look, then he followed his father.
Haruhi stared at his retreating back with a confused look. What's with heavy atmosphere? she thought.
About half an hour later, the mini stage lit up. Yoshio stood there with his ever-present smug. All the guests turned to look.
"Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for coming tonight," he said. "As you may all know, my youngest son, Ootori Kyouya has graduated from high school. I expected him to be on top of his class just like his brothers and I'm glad he didn't let me down," he paused.
For some reasons, something in the way he talked drew all attentions to him, even the host club listened as he rambled on about business claptrap and other whatnots. He had that power of speech, like Hitler. Haruhi shivered.
"...may I call on the lovely Suzuki Mayu-san and Kyouya," he was saying.
A few meters away from Haruhi, Kyouya was caught in mild surprise when his father called him. What does he want? And who the hell was Suzuki Mayu?
With slight hesitation, he walked to the stage. He almost bumped to this pretty girl with unnatural light brown hair dressed in a shimmering silver nightgown. He assumed she was Suzuki Mayu.
For the sake of being a host and an Ootori, he held out his hand and assisted her up the stage. She smiled hesitantly at him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Kyouya," his father said once they were both standing on stage. "This young lady here is the only daughter of famous Suzuki Medical Enterprises based in Fukuoka. She is currently in her junior high school..." he continued on with the girl's background but Kyouya wasn't listening.
His heart went tumbling down as realization hit him hard. He knew what his father was about to do. No, he thought desperately.
"...In our business world, it is not uncommon to engage our children in fixed marriage, is it?" He looked at Kyouya with those cold, calculating eyes he inherited from him.
Kyouya looked back with rebel. This wasn't part of the deal! he wanted to say. But his maddening anger threatened to spill uncontrollably if he as much as to open his mouth. He tried very hard to keep his cool.
"That being said, I want to make it straight to the point. An engagement party will be held next month for the union of Ootori Corporation with Suzuki Medical Enterprises," his father said nonchalantly, like it was such an insignificant thing.
Kyouya instinctively looked at Mayu, who had an award-winning disbelief on her pretty face. She looked like somebody just scandalized her. Her dark eyes were wide and were flashing with the same anger he felt. A surged of relief flooded through him; at least, he wasn't the only one to seemingly object.
Then, a sudden ice-cold lump formed in his stomach as he remembered Haruhi. His eyes strained as he searched the crowd frantically.
But Haruhi was no longer there.
Haruhi was now really glad the twins made her wear flat shoes, so she can ran away from the party faster.
...it is not uncommon to engage our children in fixed marriage...
Suzuki Mayu... only daughter of famous Suzuki Medical Enterprises based in Fukuoka...
She was beautiful and elegant. She came from a high-class family. She was someone who can stand alongside Kyouya with confidence. She was nothing like her, a commoner. For the first time, Haruhi hated being poor.
...an engagement party will be held...
Haruhi didn't stay long to hear the rest. She needed to get out of there. She bolted from the garden silently; tracing the path they took earlier and found herself in the front lawn, away from the party. Her knees buckled and she had to lean on a cherry blossom tree for support. Her eyes prickled and no matter how hard she tried not to cry, tears spilled down her cheeks.
Damn it, stop crying! She scolded herself. But it was just too much. She was afraid she might explode if she didn't let her tears flow.
Haruhi, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. She could still feel the tingling sensation from Kyouya's touch. She thought what she said could make a difference. She hoped she could make a difference. But she was completely wrong.
Kyouya was going to be engaged to a girl that belonged in his world; a world where she cannot exist; a world so far away. Light years apart, she recalled him saying.
Kyouya was out of her reach now.
Haruhi sagged on a cold, metal bench under the cherry blossom tree which was on their full bloom glory. She stared at the falling petals with no particular thing in mind. She was too screwed up to think of anything. There was just the pain. Her heart was broken for the second time by the very same guy. How pathetic.
"Excuse me, my dear? Are you alright?" A familiar voice asked.
Haruhi gasped, she hastily wiped her tears, thanking the heavens that Kaoru applied waterproof make-up on her. She looked up to see the chairman of Ouran High School. She abruptly stood up and bowed.
"Chairman Suoh, good evening, sir," she greeted politely.
The elder man looked at her, puzzled. Haruhi sighed, "It's me, sir, Fujioka Haruhi."
His jaw dropped. "Haruhi? Fujioka Haruhi? My special student?"
"Yes, sir."
"Oh! I didn't recognize you," he chuckled. "You look rather dashing tonight."
Haruhi blushed. "Thank you."
"Why are you out here? Were you crying?" He asked concernedly as he saw her bloodshot eyes.
"N-no, sir. I'm fine," she tried to smile but the elder man was no fool like his son.
He sighed and looked at her fondly. "You don't have to smile if you don't feel like smiling," he said gently.
Haruhi's smile dropped, "I'm sorry."
"Are you sick, honey? Are you hurt somewhere?"
Yes, it badly hurts, she wanted to say and her eyes stung again. She shook her head.
"You know," the chairman started. "I've always considered you as the daughter I never had. And as a father, it pained me to see you sad."
Haruhi wanted to smile; it was exactly what Tamaki would say. But the feeling of needing somebody to cry onto was just too overwhelming she couldn't stop her tears.
Stupid! Stupid! Stop being such a crybaby! "I'm sorry. I just-" she choked.
"When I was young, my strict parents told me that crying is what a weakling would do. But sometimes, everything becomes too much for us to handle and crying is all we can do," the elder man patted her shoulder and sat beside her on the bench.
Haruhi bit her lip as the straw of control slipped out and she surrendered to cry. The chairman didn't say anything more; he just sat there, consolingly patting her.
In the midst of her misery, some ungodly force made her blurt out all about the secret relationship she had with Kyouya. Before she even realized it, she was almost finished telling the whole story.
The chairman was shocked as hell. "I always thought it was Tamaki," he said.
Haruhi looked at him. "Why would you think that, sir?" She asked curiously.
"Well, that boy's always blubbers about you. So I thought..."
"Oh. It's-it's not like that. Tamaki-senpai is like a big brother to me. There's something about him that is very easy to love but that's all I feel about him," she explained warily.
The man nodded. "Yes, Tamaki has a magnet to draw people towards him," he chuckled.
They were shrouded in an awkward silence as they braced for the sudden cold spring breeze.
"What are you going to do now?" The chairman asked quietly when the wind died down.
Haruhi took a deep breath. She knew what to do now. She looked at him with resolve, "I'm going to accept the scholarship in America, sir."
"Are you accepting it because you really want it or because you're running away from here?" The elder man asked cautiously. His expression was hard.
"No!" Haruhi's voice was sharp and loud. Realizing her rudeness, she hastily bowed. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to shout. Please, forgive me."
"It's okay, it's okay! Not to worry," he chuckled at the sudden unusual outburst of his usually-calm student. "I apologize too, for judging you harshly."
Haruhi sighed. "My dad and I talked about it the other day. I decided to go even before I learned Kyouya's engagement," she said.
"You went to this party to tell him?"
"I came here because... I thought I could make him tell me the real reason why he broke up with me. Well, now he showed me," she smiled sadly.
"What if you're mistaking?"
"Excuse me?"
"Kyouya is an intelligent boy. And he is not the submissive type, you know what I mean, don't you? He will fight for what he wants. Even if he has to use deceptions." The chairman said seriously. He didn't want to make this harder for her but he also didn't want her to make a decision out of sheer emotions.
Haruhi didn't want to trust her hopes. She said slowly, "We don't know that for sure, Chairman. Besides, I've already decided; I'm going to America."
A few minutes later, Haruhi was safely buckled in a black limo. Chairman Suoh insisted of bringing her home because she was no longer in the state of enjoying the party.
"Thank you so much for everything, sir," Haruhi said gratefully.
"You deserve all that, honey." The elder man stood by car, smiling ever so kindly. "Don't worry about your friends, I'll tell them you're not feeling well and that I sent you home. Now, off you go." He waved to the driver and the engine started.
Haruhi nodded and the window automatically closed. The car moved slowly out of the Ootori premises. The Chairman swore to Haruhi that her secrets were safe with him. So she wasn't worried.
The funny feeling in her stomach rised as she pulled away from the life she'd known since she entered high school. She was alone now and the heavy consequences of her choice was beginning to dawn on her.
Haruhi looked back at looming white mansion. This was probably the last time she'll ever see it. She closed her eyes, committing all the memories in her heart and mind. Then, with a deep breath, she looked ahead the long winding road of the future.
Goodbye, Kyouya...
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01/26/13 OWARI
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SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:
That was a looooong chapter!
Now I wonder how our story will turn out. I'm really hoping for a happy ending!
Sorry for the mistakes I overlooked; I don't have the time to edit it thoroughly. I still have a life to breath outside virtual reality. Besides, my computer is broken :( I'm using iPad to edit this which is really painstakingly hard. Also, please understand the OOCness of the characters because I'm not Hatori Bisco, hahaha!
Thank you for all the views, reads, reviews, follows and favorites. I hope you like this extra-long chapter update. Thank you for waiting patiently, too. Please continue to support Spring Petals until the end. Thank you!
Ja, natsu_no_sora signing off!