"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 10: Round in Circles

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Another Monday was coming to an end for the students of Harvard. Some were enjoying the afternoon hanging out with friends in the garden while the others seemed eager to get away from the clutches of evil professors and brain-whacking lessons as they hurried to the gates. But a certain Japanese girl was still in the library, immersed in yet another book. Haruhi was reading as she usually did ever since the school year began.

But there was something different about her today: Her wide milk-chocolate eyes twinkled; the sad pout on her lips were replaced by a warm smile and Aaliyah noticed the pink glow on her pale complexion.

Well, Kyouya made all the difference. Just by being there, Haruhi felt like she was beginning to live again.

They had almost the same schedule so it wasn't hard for them to meet throughout the day. Haruhi recalled that morning when she was about to leave for school, Kyouya was there outside her apartment, waiting with the limo. During lunch break, he turned up in the high school's canteen to join her for lunch. She didn't miss the who-the-hell-is-this-cool-guy look from Aaliyah. When the bell rang, he told her to wait for him in library after school. Without waiting for her reply, he kissed her cheek and walked away. Haruhi had to spend the whole afternoon trying to explain to her friend that Kyouya, the "cool guy", was indeed her boyfriend.

Kyouya looked around the vast library until he spotted his girlfriend sitting alone beside the glass wall. She was frowning at the book like it offended her. She didn't notice him approaching. She didn't even look up when he sat down right in front of her.

"Hey," Kyouya reached out to touch her bangs.

Haruhi jolted and snapped her head up. "Kyouya," she gasped. "You startled me."

"Sorry. What are you reading?"

"Uhm, the second installment of 'The Lord of the Rings'. I haven't seen the movie but I think I like it," she beamed.

Kyouya nodded, mesmerized by her radiant smile.

"But it's a bit difficult to understand since it's slightly old English and the words are going round in circles," she complained.

He nodded again, an amused smile playing on his lips.

"But it's a good exercise for my English skills, right?"

He nodded again. He realized he missed that. He missed the way Haruhi would blubber to him just about everything. Sure, she's mostly quiet around other people but once she's alone with him, she talks nonstop. And he would just sit there, watching her pretty face morph into different expressions and listening to her complains and childish remarks. It makes him feel light and happy.

"I have a blu-ray collection of that movie in my apartment. We could watch it later if you want," he suggested.

"Maybe some other time. I have something to show you later." Haruhi closed the book and stood. She held out her hand to Kyouya. "Come on, I'm hungry."

Kyouya took her offered hand and trailed behind her as she pulled him towards the exit. "So, what exactly are you going to show me?"

"You'll see," she said. She presented her ID on the counter and checked the book out.

"Alright. Fine," Kyouya sighed.

The afternoon sun was still hanging high in the sky when they walked across the garden. They spotted Tachibana in the parking lot, dutifully waiting for his young master beside the limo. But Haruhi steered Kyouya away from the lot.

"Let's have a walk, shall we?" Haruhi tugged him towards to the opposite direction.

"To show me something?"

"Yep! It's just around the corner."

"You seem excited about this," Kyouya noticed.

Haruhi shrugged and smiled. "Maybe."

Kyouya waved dismissively at the waiting limo and let Haruhi pull him towards the commercial district of Brattle Street. They walked for a few minutes until they stopped at a restaurant with a sign that said: "Bertucci's".

"Bertucci's," Kyouya said, quirking an eyebrow.

Haruhi nodded and bit her lip. "A few months ago, I'd tried their spaghetti and I thought you might want to try it too, since I know you like spaghetti..." she mumbled shyly.

Kyouya chuckled softly; trust her to remember every little thing about him. "Well, this better be good," he smirked. He held the door open for her. "Let's eat?"

They were greeted by the same blonde waitress that tended to Haruhi before. They sat on the far corner. Kyouya roamed his scrutinizing eyes around the restaurant; it wasn't spacious but it wasn't too crowded either. The interior was elegant and beautiful; it could have been a high-class restaurant if it weren't for the ordinary dishes and cheap menu.

"We'll have two spaghetti, two cokes and garlic breads," Haruhi said to the waitress without looking at the menu.

"Coming right up." The blonde girl smiled and left.

Haruhi started talking about her day in class while she absently played with Kyouya's hands. And he just watched her like she was an award-winning film. He listened to her voice that resonated in his ears like lullaby.

"Have you called Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi asked, pulling him out of his reverie.

"Not yet. Do you want to call him now?" Kyouya fished out his BlackBerry and gave it to her.

"Eh? Why me? You call him," she shoved the phone to his hand like it electrified her. The idea of talking to the stupid King after months of missing was just horrifying. Tamaki would surely be like an oil tanker purposefully set in fire.

"Okay. I'll call him, you talk to him." Haruhi widened her eyes as Kyouya speed-dialed his best friend, giving her a mischievous smirk. Before she could react, he dropped the phone onto her hand just in time Tamaki picked up. She glared at him and listened to the other line.

Hey, Kyouya! What's up? Tamaki cheerfully greeted.

Haruhi bit her lip. "Uh, Tamaki-senpai... it's me, Haruhi."

It took precisely three seconds before the words registered in the blonde's brain. Then it was followed by a loud clatter, like a china breaking.

Haruhi?! As in Fujioka Haruhi? Is that really you?

"Yes, it's really me. Listen, I-"

HA~RU~HI~! Tamaki squealed so loud she held the phone in arm's length and could still hear his high-pitched voice booming from the speaker. Kyouya snickered. She rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly. As expected, Tamaki went nuclear alert.

Oh, Daddy misses you so much! Are you alright? Where are you? Are you doing fine? he demanded.

"I'm-"

Why didn't you tell us you were leaving the country? Why didn't you contact us sooner? We're so worried about you!

"I know, I-"

Wait, you're calling through Kyouya's phone? Are you with him? That's so great! When did you two meet? Is he-

"WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT THE HELL UP AND LISTEN TO ME FIRST?" Haruhi snapped. She could feel the familiar Tamaki-inflicted madness coursing through her nerves again.

Sorry, came a small voice from Tamaki.

Haruhi exhaled. She gave Kyouya the famous I'll-kill-you-later glare as he suppressed a chuckle. "To answer your first question: yes, I'm alright. Yes, I'm doing fine; I'm in Massachusetts all this time, dumb bunny! And yes, I'm with Kyouya-senpai right now. We've met yesterday in Harvard," she lied smoothly.

Oh, he seemed dumbfounded. So you're studying in Harvard, too? he asked in his cute-little-lost-puppy voice, like he couldn't believe he never thought about that.

"Yes. Now, where are you? I've heard you're flipping the entire continental US looking for me," she said.

I'm here in Illinois. My dad didn't tell us exactly where you are so we'd launched a nationwide search for you and I'm so glad we've found you! he said in one breath.

"Stupid idiot," Haruhi mouthed. Kyouya held out a hand, asking for the phone. She made a face and handed it over.

"Tamaki," Kyouya said coolly.

Kyouya! As expected from mommy, no one escapes that radar eyes yours! he cheered.

"Where are you?" he asked, his voice bored.

Still in Illinois. Does anybody else know you found her?

"No, not yet."

Yosh! I'll tell them the good news! Hey, I'm going to arrange a flight for Boston tomorrow, will you two come and pick me up in the airport?

Kyouya suppressed another sigh, "Fine. We'll see you then, bye."

Hey, wait! I still want to talk to Haru-

Kyouya cut the line and blocked Tamaki's number from calling. He looked at the curious girl in front of him and chuckled. "They're going to test your idiocy endurance tomorrow, Ms. Fujioka. So if I were you, I'd better prepare an extra 300-long mile of patience," he said.

Haruhi gasped. "Tomorrow?"

He nodded remorsefully.

"Does that mean I have to say goodbye to my peaceful, quiet life here?" she asked, her voice was childish and her wide eyes were innocent.

He smiled, "Apparently so."

She sighed dejectedly. They sat in companionable silence until she spoke again.

"You know..." Haruhi said hesitantly.

"Hm?" Kyouya tucked the stubborn bangs behind her ear.

"I think it's time we should tell them about us?" It came out a question rather than a statement. Haruhi wasn't really sure about it but she didn't want to lie to her friends anymore. And it'll be much easier to explain things to them.

"Do you want to?" Kyouya asked. He wasn't totally opposed to the idea of sharing their little secret to their friends, it's just that life is so much easier if they weren't involve. But like what they had talked about a million times before they "broke up", the host club had every rights to know and they were being unfair to them.

Haruhi nodded slowly, mentally preparing herself for a possible war outbreak.

"Okay. We'll take it slowly, though. We don't want them to drop unconscious, do we?" he said playfully.

Haruhi chuckled.

The waitress came back with their orders and laid it on the table. The heavenly fragrance of spaghetti and garlic bread made them temporarily forgot about the impending doomsday and possible war breakout, all which could happen tomorrow.

"Can I get you anything else?" the waitress asked sweetly.

The couple stared at each other and blinked. "No, thank you," they simultaneously answered, making the waitress chuckled.

"Okay! Enjoy your meal." With a slight giggle, she went away.

"Smells nice, isn't it?" Haruhi beamed, moving on to a much lighter conversation. She twirled the fork on her spaghetti but her eyes were on Kyouya.

The Shadow King nodded in agreement, "It does. How'd you know about this place?" He brought a cleanly spaghetti-wrapped fork into his mouth and chewed slowly. It was delicious.

"I used to walk around this area when I first arrived. I had lunch here once and the same waitress said I should try out their spaghetti. So I did," she said. "After that, whenever I passed by here, I... think of you," she added quietly.

"Only when you passed by here?" Kyouya tilted his head in an adorable way that nobody ever thought he was capable of. "I think of you all the time," he said, pursing his lips.

"If I think about you all the time, I wouldn't get anything done. You're very distracting," she said bluntly.

"Distracting?" Kyouya smirked.

"Yes," she nodded. "And is that how the proper Ootori Kyouya eats?" She clicked her tongue and pointed to his stained chin. She looked at him disapprovingly.

"Then be a good girlfriend and wipe it for me," he smiled innocently and handed her a table napkin.

Haruhi rolled her eyes but complied. She leaned forward and wiped the funny smudge off his chin.

"Besides," he said. "I'm just Ootori Kyouya when I'm with Fujioka Haruhi."

A smile tugged at the corner of Haruhi's lips.

By the time they finished their meal, the setting sun made everything turn into fiery shades of orange and the first star was peeking through the darkening sky above. The couple sat in companionable silence, waiting for their bill. It had been a great day.

Until the BlackBerry on the wooden table buzzed.

Kyouya glanced at it and frowned. He paused for a moment as he seemed to be contemplating on whether or not he would pick it up. After a few more buzzes, he let out a frustrated sigh and answered it.

"Hello?" he greeted coldly. Haruhi watched her boyfriend's face barely making any emotion at all. She wondered who was calling.

"What?" he asked in a tone of disbelief. He glimpsed at her cautiously, which made her feel a bit nervous. "Did he say why?" He paused and listened to whoever it was on the other side. Then: "Fine," he snapped and shut off the phone. He looked at it like he was thinking of smashing it on the table.

"Who was that?" Haruhi asked softly. She doesn't usually poke her nose into other people's business but the familiar heavy gaze Kyouya was throwing at her was unsettling and it always meant bad news.

"My brother," he answered. And it was pretty much enough to explain the sudden dark atmosphere around him.

Oh. Bad news, Haruhi's brain confirmed. "What did he want?"

Kyouya stared deep into her eyes, "My father wants to talk to us. Tomorrow, after school."

She mentally winced, A really, really bad news. "Okay... it's official, doomsday is upon us."

Kyouya laughed half-heartedly. Then he sighed. "Haruhi," he said seriously. "I may be asking too much from you but..." his voice dropped to whisper and spoke in a very unKyouya-like manner, "...I can't let you go. No matter what happens, please stay with me." No matter what my father's plan, I'm not going to let you go.

Haruhi smiled. "What do you mean asking too much? Of course, I'll stay with you. Do you think I'll let you go off that easily again?" She looked into his dark eyes as if searching his soul, "I'm not going to let you deal with this alone. You've done that already, Kyouya. Besides, this is our problem, isn't it? We're going to face this together."

Kyouya nodded and caressed her knuckles with his thumb. "Okay," he breathed.

"Hey, what could happen? We are the great first and third demons, we can do anything," she grinned brightly.

Kyouya laughed again, completely coming out of his dark trance. "Yeah, we can do anything."

"As long as we're together."

The ride to Haruhi's apartment was quiet. Neither talked much. Though they kept their fingers laced together, they were both lost in their own thoughts.

Haruhi had a good hunch of what conversation they would be having with Ootori Yoshio. It might not be nice but she's going to take it all, she's going accept all the possible insults and hurtful words from that arrogant man, if it meant staying with Kyouya. She have to be strong for the both of them.

The car stopped. Kyouya squeezed her hand before he slipped off his fingers from her grasp. They got out and went up the stairs to Haruhi's unit.

"So..." Haruhi turned to Kyouya once she opened the door and looked at him, wide-eyed. He knew she was thinking about the upcoming meeting with his father. Even though she'd put up such brave facade, he knew deep inside her, she was as nervous as he was.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow," he smiled.

Haruhi nodded, still gazing at him in a way that said she needed a hug.

Kyouya exhaled and pulled her in his arms. "Please don't think too much about tomorrow, okay?" he whispered in her ear. He felt her nod and her slim arms around his body.

"What about Tamaki-senpai and the others? They'll be coming here tomorrow, too," she reminded him in a drowsy voice, muffled against the crook of his neck.

"They're the least of our worries now. Just let them be, we'll deal with them afterwards."

"Hmm-mm," she nodded again.

"Tired?" he cupped her face and chuckled at her dropping eyelids. "You should go in and sleep."

"Yeah," she agreed but she didn't make any move to go inside her darkened apartment.

"Goodnight then," Kyouya leaned closer and kissed her sweetly. "And thank you for the delicious spaghetti," he added with a crooked smile.

"We should do that again," she said.

"Which one? The kiss?"

Haruhi laughed, "No, I meant the spaghetti!"

Kyouya grinned. "Okay, maybe on Thursday. I can't go on Wednesdays, I have extra subject in the afternoon."

"Okay!" she beamed. There was no guarantee that after tomorrow, things would stay the same way as they were now but Kyouya planned their little date as if tomorrow would never exist; as if nothing would change after their talk with his father. She loved him for that.

"Call me if you need anything," Kyouya said.

"I know," she smiled. And before he could step back, Haruhi caught his hand and kissed him full on the lips. It was brief but enough to make his brain temporarily blank.

"Goodnight, Kyouya."

He chuckled. "You love assaulting me with surprise attacks, don't you?"

She smirked, her face full of teasing smugness.

"Can I have another one?"

"No! Go home, Kyouya!" She stuck out her tongue childishly and slammed the door shut to his face. He chuckled and ran his hand through his raven hair.

"Yeah, I love you, too, Haruhi," he said, feeling silly talking to the door but he knew she was still listening from the other side. He heard the familiar giggle followed by a hurried stomping of feet.

He smiled contentedly and walked away with a fierce determination of never letting anything or anyone come between them.

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03/18/13 OWARI

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SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

FINALLY!

Guys, I'm still alive! Please don't bury me in the depths of Tartarus! I'm so sorry for the very late update! m(_ _)m

First of all, the iPod app I use to type my stories in was accidentally deleted (by my cute, little brother), along with all of my years' worth of hard work and eye-bags. It's probably fine with me (since I could download it again and retrieve all my stories), if it weren't for the fact that the app is updated and my humble 2nd gen iPod cannot f***ing support it anymore. I had a good cry over it, y'know.

This unfortunate chapter (which I was a few words away from being finish) was included in the tragic end of my other stories so I had to write it ALL OVER AGAIN. But the thing that made me cry even more was the bold, uppercased STUPIDITY written across my forehead because of not backing up this f***ing chapter.

Anyway, after agonizing weeks of rewriting this, I am so happy to update "Spring Petals"! I hope you haven't given up on this story like how I felt a few weeks ago.

Someone had invented this concept of "getting over" and "moving on" which I exactly did, so let's get on to the story: I'm sure you have notice the repeating scenes of "tucking hairs", "holding hands", "playing with someone's fingers", and whatnots. Well, for me, those little things keep the story cuddly and snuggly romantic. I mean, those gestures always makes me want to fall in love. LOL. Cheesy, I know. But it'll leave you wanting to have someone doing those sweet gestures to you, right? Don't deny yourselves! Haha!

Oh. And there goes Ootori Yoshio again, destroying my favorite couple's story. -_-

Sorry for the long rambling, it's just that... I've missed you, guys! *sniff* Thank you for dropping by!

Meet me again soon! :)

PS: I THINK next chapter is the last... but I'm not so sure. Let's just see how things are going to turn.