"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 09: Area of Responsibility

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Haruhi stirred in her sleep. Something's pulling her towards consciousness. Something... like a dream she must remember. She moaned and turned on the soft bed. She knew there was something very important she must remember. She laid flat on her back and slowly opened her eyes.

The dark wood ceiling made her blink. Wait, that's not right. My ceiling is white, she thought. Then the events of last night came, flashing like neon bulbs in her head. With a surprised jolt, she sat straight up on the bed.

"Urgh..." she groaned as the sudden head rush made her dizzy. She closed her eyes tightly and held her head.

"Hey," a warm voice made her looked up.

"Kyouya?" she frowned. She felt so disoriented she couldn't piece the memories and dreams in their right places.

Kyouya sat on the bed beside her and smiled. "Hello, sleepyhead," he greeted.

Haruhi stared at him. "How come you're up earlier than me?"

"Well, I'm usually up at around eleven on weekends."

She gasped, "What time is it?"

"A few minutes after one in the afternoon," he answered as he tried to tame her wild hair with his fingers.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" She flexed her stiff shoulders and stopped when she noticed that she wasn't wearing her blouse. She was wearing oversized black t-shirt and she couldn't feel the tight jeans around her thighs.

Kyouya noticed her gaping at his t-shirt and smirked. He inched closer and whispered seductively, "Don't tell me you don't you remember what we did last night?"

At first, she just looked at him blankly. Then Haruhi turned beet red. Oh God, they didn't do that, did they? All she remembered was the talk and the burning hot make-out on the couch. But other than that, she didn't remember stripping off her clothes. Did he drug me last night?

Kyouya pressed his lips in a tight line to suppress the urge to laugh out loud. Haruhi glared at him and that did it; he cracked up.

"What's so funny?" she demanded angrily.

"Your face," he continued to chortle. "You should've seen it."

"Oh, shut up." Haruhi shoved him and untangled the comforter around her. She was ready to jump off the bed but Kyouya held her back, grinning like an idiot.

"Sorry, I'm just teasing you," he said. "I had the maid change your clothes since you were sleeping like a log."

Haruhi narrowed her eyes and smacked his forehead. "You know I hate when you do that," she said gruffly. She'd been dating the Shadow King for years and who could've thought that he had a playful side on him? She was used to his teasing but that didn't mean she liked it.

"Yeah, I know. But the look on your face was just priceless," Kyouya chuckled and helped her up. Haruhi stood on the bed, looking like a scarecrow in her large t-shirt, baggy pants and stuck up hair.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked as she hopped off with Kyouya holding her hand.

He pointed to the cabinet, "Washed and folded."

"Oh. Thanks," she mumbled.

"You can take a shower if you want but let's eat first." He dragged her out the bedroom.

The kitchen was small but neat. The interior was the same brilliant white paint in contrast of dark wood panels. There was no dining table, just a breakfast nook with three high chairs. On the counter, beside a state-of-the-art stove, was a square plate with scrambled eggs, fried ham and a loaf of bread.

"Did you cook all that?" Haruhi sat on one of the high chairs while Kyouya brought the plate in front of her.

"No. I have a maid to do that for me," he answered and sat beide her.

"Rich bastard," she muttered.

Kyouya just smirked. "Eat up." He handed her a fork.

Silence engulfed them. Kyouya watched Haruhi poked the ham absently, like she was in a very deep thought. He knew that look.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he said softly.

"Kyouya," she started, avoiding his prying eyes and still poking the poor ham. "Are you...are you going back to Japan? I mean, you were looking for me, right? But now you found me, does that mean you're going back home?" she asked. The thought of him leaving again embedded in her mind and the breakfast didn't seem to be delicious.

For the second time that day, much to her surprise, Kyouya laughed out loud. "No, Haruhi. I told you I'm not going to leave you again, didn't I?"

"But you have to go to school," she said, finally looking up to see his beaming face.

"Don't worry, ma'am, I am not neglecting my studies," he reached over and smoothened her wrinkled eyebrows with his index finger. "I'm currently enrolled in a university here. Guess where?" he added playfully.

"There are about a dozen universities here, how am I supposed to..." She lost her voice as images from the past days swirled and boomed inside her head: the same figure in the garden, the glimpses in the canteen and silhouettes in the hallways. Haruhi blanched. Of course she wasn't hallucinating or going crazy. It was really the sly Shadow King.

Haruhi widened her eyes. "You're studying in Harvard," she gasped.

"Medicine department," he confirmed.

"I knew it," she mumbled, mentally smacking her head. She remembered that the medical building was located near the garden. "It was really you."

"Me?" He looked at her confusedly.

"These past days, I've been seeing glimpses of you around the garden, and practically everywhere I look. I thought I was going crazy," she admitted shyly.

"Oh, I see," Kyouya grinned. So you're the one watching over me, he thought, smiling.

"How'd you know I'm studying in Harvard?" she asked.

"I didn't know you were studying there until last night, Haruhi. The Chairman didn't tell us exactly where - oh, shit..." Kyouya cursed; he remembered his friends scrambling around the country looking for the girl in front of him. He still hadn't call them to inform that he'd already found her.

"What?" she prompted.

"Tamaki and the others... they're flipping over the whole continental US searching for you,"

Haruhi blinked while it registered in her brain. "What?!" she yelped. She knew they would be wondering about her. But the thought of them, flipping over America, was just pure terror; what with Hunny-senpai's and Mori-senpai's capability; the twin devils, not to mention Tamaki-senpai... she shuddered.

Kyouya started to explain. "When we found out you left the country without telling exactly where in the world you were going," he narrowed his eyes on her disapprovingly. "And don't you ever do that again."

Haruhi blushed and muttered, "I said I'm sorry, didn't I? And whoever told you to search for me?"

"I don't need someone to tell me to find you," Kyouya said deadpanned. Haruhi pursed her lips. "Anyway, the next day after the party, I went to your house. Tamaki and the others were also there-"

"Wait, the day after the party?" she asked, laughing. "That was the day I flew off!"

"I know and it's not funny. I was going out of my mind with worry and I still had to deal with this idiot Tamaki and you don't want to know what's he like during those times coz it'll give you cancer." He paused, then he looked at her with suppressed smile and Haruhi's giggles turned to laughter.

"Cancer?" she mouthed between fits of laughter.

"That was the most insane two months of my life," Kyouya added with an amused shake of his head.

"I don't want to be near him once he learns you found me," she said.

"Hmm..." He took the fork from her and did the honor of putting food in her mouth. "Last time I talked to him, he was in Illinois," he said.

Good thing she already swallowed the piece of ham or she'd probably choked to death. "Illinois?! What the hell is he doing there?" Haruhi blurted out. Remembering how Tamaki can be whenever it concerns her, she sighed. "Kyouya, how exactly did you all intend to find me? Were you really planning to turn America inside out?"

"They're currently doing that, as a matter of fact," he smirked.

"Oh, that is so stupid. Where are the others?"

"Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai are in California. The twins went back to Japan two weeks ago but before that, they were rummaging New York. And me, well... since my father kicked me off here, this is my area of responsibility," he beamed.

Haruhi made a face. "I don't understand how you divide your area of responsibilities. I mean, seriously? Why did you ever think I was in California or in New York? That's not just a wild guess, is it?"

"Hey, since you refused to tell your father where you are, we tried tracking the phone numbers you use when calling Ranka but Ms. Fujioka Haruhi-" he tapped the tip of her nose with his finger fondly, "-is so clever enough to use pay phones which numbers appeared unknown on our tracking device-"

"Freaking stalkers," she muttered. But in the back of her mind, she knew they would resort to that method. Somehow, it made her felt happy; knowing that she got friends who treasured her so much.

"Say whatever you want," he rolled his eyes. "But that method was proven fail so we turned to Tamaki's father who was on a business trip in Europe. We waited for two months to talk to him and when he finally got back, the old man also refused to say anything. Do you know how much I wanted to strangle him at that time?"

Haruhi puffed her cheeks to keep from laughing. "Sorry, I made him swear not to tell anyone," she snickered. Looking back at it now, it was strangely funny to hear his side of story.

Kyouya sighed contentedly as he memorized that carefree laughter from her. "Yeah, but he gave us a hint which leads us here."

"What hint?"

"The Chairman said you have been accepted to one of the most prestigious universities here. I searched the latest list of the topmost and Tamaki divided it according to locations. I got the New England area since I'm studying in Harvard," he explained.

Haruhi looked at him intently for a long time. She felt silly thinking that Kyouya didn't care about her anymore. But he did. And he was there now, telling her how much trouble he'd been through just to be with her again. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

"For what?" Kyouya tilted his head curiously.

"For finding me, for caring for me, and for loving me. Thank you." She leaned forward and pecked his lips.

Kyouya chuckled. He had always loved the sudden burst of warmth whenever she initiated a kiss. "You have forever to pay me back," he whispered and resumed feeding her.

"When are you going to tell the others?" Haruhi asked after a moment of comfortable silence.

"When do you want me to?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. She knew she would have to say goodbye to the peaceful life she have once they were informed. She would have to deal with her friends' endless antics and drama again.

"Well, I'd like to monopolize you just a bit more so I'll let them know some time later," Kyouya said, smiling that evil, calculating smile again.

"Tell them tomorrow. Or the next day," Haruhi suggested, feeling guilty about hiding another important matter. She also owed them an apology. "I don't want them uprooting cities," she added.

Kyouya just shrugged and pursed his lips. "What do you want to do today?" He caught a stray lock of her long fringe and tucked it behind her ear.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Cuddle you and kiss you all day." He smirked at her crimson face.

Haruhi stuck out her tongue. "I have to go back to my apartment."

"Don't leave," he said in the pleading voice he knew she couldn't resist.

"I have to go home," she insisted, taking a glance on the wall clock. It was almost two in the afternoon. She should be finishing her homework by now.

"I'll come with you."

"Kyouya..." she warned exasperatedly. But her stubborn boyfriend was already on his feet, holding out his hand to help her jump off the high stool.

"Where's your apartment?" he asked.

"Riverside. Wait, where are we?" she asked. Yesterday was quite a disorienting for her and she didn't notice where they were going.

"Brattle Street," he answered. "Your apartment is pretty far from here."

Brattle Street... Oh, of course. Rich bastard, Haruhi thought. Brattle Street is one of the most historic places in America and its neighborhood is a well-known high class society. Prominent personalities and celebrities lived in the area.

"Shall we take a shower together? I'll scrub your back," Kyouya offered with the creepy smile again.

Haruhi whipped her head towards him with absolute horror on her red face. She dropped his hand like it electrified her. She pushed him aside, ran to the bathroom, screaming bloody pervert and slammed the door shut.

Kyouya doubled over, laughing like a maniac. Oh, how he loved teasing her. No matter how many times he'd seen that beautiful red blush, he'll never get tired of it. He'll treasure it for the rest of his life.

The afternoon sky was clear and perfect over Cambridge, like the storm never happened. The weather there is just so unpredictable. The couple had a short sight-seeing stroll around Brattle Street, with Kyouya acting as Haruhi's tour guide, before driving off to her apartment.

Riverside was quiet, unlike his neighborhood. They walked hand-in-hand up to the third floor of the red-bricked apartment.

"It's not as fancy as your apartment but it's decent," Haruhi said. Fumbling through her keys, she finally opened the door.

The first thing Kyouya noticed was the fragrance in the room; it smelled like Haruhi. Very warm and homey. There was a love seat in the small living room, a coffee table and a small LCD in the center of a wooden shelf which was full of books. The huge glass window, partially covered with white curtains, overlooked the shimmering river.

"You got a nice view here," he commented. He walked over beside the window and pulled the curtains completely apart. The bright sunlight flooded into the room.

"Do you want something to drink?" Haruhi asked; her voice resonated somewhere, probably from the kitchen.

"Sure," he replied absently.

Haruhi entered the living room, carrying two cans of Pepsi. She momentarily paused at the sudden brightness. She saw Kyouya looking out at the waters. The sunlight wrapped around him, making him looked like a mirage. He seemed to be in deep thought; his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes were far away. She quietly approached him from behind and poked his back with the cold can, chuckling when he visibly flinched.

"What are you thinking?" Haruhi asked as she plopped down the floor, directly in front of the window.

Kyouya popped open the can and sat beside her, cross-legged. "I was wondering about the things I'll probably be doing had I not found you yesterday. Or if I didn't search for you."

They were both facing the clear glass, gazing over the peaceful flow of Charles River. Haruhi struggled to open her Pepsi can but her slim fingers didn't have enough strength. Kyouya took it and gave his can to her, instead.

"Well? What do you think you're doing if you weren't here?" she asked.

"I'll probably be in the maximum security asylum," he grinned.

"No," Haruhi disagreed. "I think you're probably engaged to that girl," she mumbled almost incoherently.

Kyouya exhaled. He felt a stinging pain in his chest. He scooted closer to her until there was no space between them and rested his head on her shoulder. "That's a possibility," he said, thinking about how manipulative his father can be.

Haruhi didn't respond, just the thought of it made her stomach feel weird. She didn't like it.

"Haruhi, were you jealous?" he asked.

Haruhi snorted and rolled her eyes. She took a second before answering. "I wasn't jealous. I was... hurt."

"I'm sorry," he said almost inaudible.

"It's not your fault, I understand now. But at that time, I didn't. You know, I couldn't bear to stay there and listen to your father as he announced the engagement. I wanted to leave immediately but I didn't know how to get out of your freaking mansion." She chuckled to lighten up the mood.

Kyouya didn't say anything. He just took her hand and slipped his fingers through hers.

"Looking at her," she continued in a hushed whisper. "Beautiful, elegant and rich; exactly the kind of girl perfect for you. It made me feel so far away, like you're drifting away from my reach. And for the first time, I hated being a commoner."

Kyouya squeezed her hand tightly. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't say that. You are you, regardless of your social status. No matter where you came from, be it in deepest pits of the poorest country or in the richest kingdom, I don't care. I love you because you are you."

"I know," she smiled and gave a grateful squeeze to his hand.

"The girl I was supposed to marry, Suzuki Mayu," Kyouya started. "She showed me how utterly coward I was."

Haruhi knitted her eyebrows, not sure what he meant. She watched their reflection on the glass; her curious expression and the peaceful face of Kyouya with his eyes closed, still leaning against her. His eyeglasses were a little crooked. He looked contented.

"What I told you last night, how my father threatened me... that was the first time I felt a numbing fear. So I did what he ordered me to."

"You did," Haruhi said softly. She didn't sound like she was admonishing him, rather, her tone sounded she was soothing him from his pain. "And we all have those first times."

"But Mayu, she is a very headstrong girl. We came to my father's office to talk about the sudden engagement which was a surprise to both of us," he continued. His eyes still closed and still gripping her hand, like a lifeline. "She was completely opposed to the engagement as I am, because she has a boyfriend; a normal guy with a simple life."

"Does she?"

"Yes. And she loves him so much she's willing to give up everything. I watched her stood her ground, defying everyone. I admired her," he sighed. "She made me realize that living is pointless if I'm not with you."

"I should thank her for knocking some sense in your head," Haruhi chuckled.

"Yeah..." Kyouya mumbled drowsily.

"How is she now?"

"I don't know, I haven't talk to her since then. But I'm sure she's fine. And for some unknown reasons, my father didn't seize their company."

"Really?" Haruhi blurted, genuinely surprised.

Kyouya chuckled. "I know me too."

Haruhi sipped the soda and leaned her head against his. Ah, maybe Ootori Yoshio wasn't that heartless. The two stayed like that for a long time, talking about completely random stuffs, teasing and poking each other. Just like the old times.

When the sunrays were almost horizontal against the glass and their cans were long empty, Haruhi stood and stretched. Kyouya remained sitting, watching her. The thin blouse came up as she stretched her arms and her creamy tummy was exposed. Kyouya briefly wonder how soft it was to touch.

"Kyouya," Haruhi snapped him out of his reverie.

"Yes?" he blinked distractedly.

"Will you help me with my homework?" she asked, giving him her best puppy look.

An idea popped in his head. He smirked, "Of course, I'll help you. But you do know I want merits from everything I do, don't you?"

Haruhi rolled her eyes, some things never really change. If she weren't short on time, she wouldn't ask for his help. But she wanted to finish her assignments so she could relax the next day. "Fine. What do you want?"

Kyouya mockingly tapped his chin, as if he was really thinking about it. "Can I kiss your tummy afterwards?"

Haruhi stared at him for a full minute, unblinking. "Are you on drugs, Kyouya?" she asked seriously.

"Nope," he promised. "Will you let me kiss your tummy?"

"HELL NO!" Haruhi blushed. "Why would you want to kiss my tummy?!" She crossed her arms on her stomach and backed away nervously.

"It looks soft," he reasoned out.

"T-that's... You're crazy!" Haruhi turned away from him with burning red cheeks. She stomped over to the coffee table and pulled out her notes and pen. "I'll do this myself," she muttered as she folded herself on the floor.

"Suit yourself," Kyouya shrugged and smirked. He lounged behind her on the couch, enjoying himself as he watched her struggle to solve a complicated calculus problem.

Two hours later, he was sitting on the floor, patiently explaining the complex formula to his flustered girlfriend. Well, everyone knows that whatever the Shadow King wants, the Shadow King gets.

Now he wondered how he would kiss that soft, creamy tummy.

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02/25/13 OWARI

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SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

Whew! Finally. I've finish my 9th chapter. It took me so long to construct this; I've got a major block in my head and "Safe Haven" really hooked me up. Plus, the school deadlines that are staring straight at me right now.

This chapter isn't something of major importance, I just want to emphasize those things between Kyouya and Haruhi are going steady again. Its lame, I know. But that's all I've really got. I'm sorry. Though, I still hope you like this :)

Thank you for reading! The reviews from the last chapter kept me motivated, thank you for that, too!

I honestly don't know what would happened next chapter but please continue to support Spring Petals, thank you. ^-^