Pairing: KyouyaxHaruhi
Rating: PG
Written for: my birthday. Or just in time for it anyway! As a present to you amazing readers—thanks for sticking by me when I first started out, and if you're new to my writing, thanks for reading!
Dedicated to: mtnikolle, DarkRavie, irgroomer, Orchidellia, Bubblybunny153, TobiSaru/Ale, and greetingsfrommaars—thank you lovelies for always encouraging me, always giving me deeper insights to how these chapters/the story makes you feel. I read, reply, and save every one of them!
Tanaka's girl: Thanks so much for always reading and reviewing! Getting a review helps with improving moods-and I'm glad that you've enjoyed how I've portrayed the Ootori siblings. Thanks so much for your support :)
Warning: Beware of OOCness. Not BETA'd...sorry for little mistakes here and there.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran or any of its characters. They belong only to the great Bisco Hatori-sama (and BONES and Funimation)...but I think they're okay with me borrowing these characters for a little bit. I mean, psh, ain't like they've got anything else to do with 'em!
Endless Story
A Kyouya and Haruhi Tale
By, Yue Guang Kuroneko
Chapter Twenty-six:
But there's something in the air
They share a look in silence
And everything is understood
And Suzy grabs the man
And puts a grip on his hand
As the rain puts a tear in his eyes
And she says:
"Don't let go
Never give up
It's such a wonderful life"
("Wonderful Life" by Hurts)
No one at the office mentioned anything about his black eye. Not that Haruhi hadn't tried to cover it with make-up, but it would have taken too much time, and there was no point in trying to cover it up anyway. He rescheduled the only appointment he had that day, and only had a phone conference early in the morning. Given the few stares at the beginning of the day, he had no doubts that those first few people had warned the rest of the staff to be particularly non-reactive.
"Great staff," Tamaki commented as he seated himself on the deep red chair in front of Kyouya's mahogany desk. "They didn't say anything."
"Would you?"
"No," Tamaki chuckled. "Too afraid to imagine why my boss has a black eye to say anything."
Kyouya gave a chuckle as he handed over a manila folder. Tamaki took it without comment and began to sift through it. As Tamaki read the contents of the folder, Kyouya continued sending out emails.
"Are you sure?" Tamaki said, as he reached the end of the documents. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
"Yes," Kyouya answered, not bothering to reprimand Tamaki for second-guessing his intentions, or even more bizarre, asking him if he second-guessed his own intentions. "As you can see, everything is ready."
"Have you talked to Haruhi about this?"
"I will at dinner tonight."
"Where will you take her?"
"You know she doesn't like to eat out. I'll be cooking."
Tamaki shook his head as he chuckled. He tucked the manila folder into his briefcase as he said, "You've changed, Kyouya."
"Have I?"
Tamaki paused and thought for a long moment, "No, I don't suppose you have. She just allows you to release your true self." Tamaki then gave him a wink. "And it's a romantic prince at that."
Kyouya just shook his head as Tamaki bounded out of the door gaily.
The buzzer rang.
"Yes, Yuki?" Kyouya replied to his secretary's call.
"Mr. Ootori Senior is on line one, sir."
"Yes, thank you."
Kyouya stared at the blinking red button for a moment before he pressed the number, "Yes, this is Ootori Kyouya."
"Kyouya." His father's voice was unmistakable. So was the disappointment. "What is this I hear about the Asakura Corporation?"
"And what have you heard?"
"A merger with the Nekozawa Corporation? That is absurd!"
"I'm unaware of whom your sources are," Kyouya said, leaning back in his chair, "but that's faulty information."
"Excuse me?"
"You're wrong," Kyouya emphasized every word carefully. "They are not merging."
There was a heated silence on the other end, and Kyouya secretly relished in it. It was a rare opportunity to be able to say those words to his father. He only wished they were meeting in person; he would have loved to see the expression on his father's face.
"Surely you have something up your sleeve. I know you, Kyouya; I raised you most of your life."
"Interesting perspective." Kyouya was willing to take the bait, and then spit it right out at his father's face. "I beg to differ."
He knew the Ootori family far too well. Any discussions that weren't business related weren't worth bringing up at the dinner table. Telephone conversations included. He could be as blunt as he wanted, and Ootori Yoshio would brush it aside like he would a spider web in his way. He used to hate it when he was a child, because there were things he didn't understand about his family. His brothers, even at their young age, never got along particularly well, so the only person who would have been willing to give him answers was his father. Unfortunately for the young Ootori Kyouya, Ootori Yoshio was notorious for dodging any question regarding something as personal as family matters.
"What are you up to, Kyouya?" His father's frustration made Kyouya smirk.
"It doesn't concern you, obviously," Kyouya replied. "I've got other plans for the Ootori Corporation."
"Step away from these matters, Kyouya—you've already surrendered your right to be involved in the family business."
"Was this call just to warn me?" Kyouya laughed. "A waste."
There was a shuffle through the receiver before the voice changed, "Kyouya. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."
Yuuichi the lapdog. Kyouya wondered if it had become a permanent nickname.
"The both of you seem fairly certain that I am incapable. Allow me to assure you that you are wrong."
"Your ego will be the death of you, Kyouya."
"If you are worried that I hadn't figured out about Mother, allow me to clear away your misconceptions."
Yuuichi was silent, and Kyouya found this opportunity to gloat a little, "Had it been such a colossal secret, her disappearance would have been covered better."
There was a knock at the door, and Kyouya could see Haruhi poke her head in. Instantly, he felt a flash of regret pass through his stomach.
"Regardless, the Asakura Corporation has already signed a merger. I can't see how that is any of your concern."
Haruhi slipped into the room. She gestured for him to continue, but Kyouya highly doubted that there would be much more to the conversation.
"The Asakura Corporation is a part of the Ootori Corporation!" Yuuichi hissed at him.
"But which company is the one attempting to keep the other afloat?" Kyouya retaliated. "I believe you belong to the Asakura Corporation, by definition."
"The Ootori Corporation is not so—" began Yuuichi.
"I'd say it was an ideal move on the Asakura's part in the interest of keeping the Ootori Corporation afloat. But there's no need to worry any further, Big Brother," Kyouya watched as Haruhi sat down on the chair in front of him. "And you can tell Father that he needn't concern about the Ootori Corporation either."
He set the phone down with a click, though not without having heard a curse word bleed from the receiver before then. He smiled at Haruhi warmly, realizing that had she not been in the room, he would have lost his temper with his eldest brother. She was certainly very good for anyone with problems with high blood pressure. Fortunately, he needn't worry about that right now.
"Haru."
"Clever ruse, Ootori Kyouya," she said quietly, eyes shining at him in a way that was slightly off-putting.
His eyebrows rose, "What do you mean?"
"How many birds have you killed with such few stones you have in your pocket?" Haruhi stood, and Kyouya was suddenly made aware that she was a woman. Not that he hadn't noticed before, but the difference between then and now was that she's noticed. She was never fully aware of her femininity before, but she stood now, in front of him, as a woman. He wondered if he had simply just missed this transformation because he'd been too busy. And if that was the case, shame on him.
"I figured it out this morning," Haruhi continued, "since you wouldn't tell me your plans for the two corporations."
"Oh?" Kyouya had no need to feign interest. He was enjoying himself.
"You saved Renge from a horrible job at the Asakura Corporation by having Nekozawa-senpai convince her father to begin a publishing company. You know Nekozawa-senpai would hit it off with her father. And this publishing company will no doubt succeed within the next few months. But a company like that requires backers, financial backers, especially, to get it started. And this is where the Asakura Corporation comes in. It will succeed, and it will bring in enough revenue to support itself and the Asakura Corporation. With the Asakura Corporation very comfortably financed with the help of Renge's publishing company, there will be no need for them to participate in the Black Market, as that was a risky deal in and of itself. And I have no doubts that you've dealt with the Black Market personally to make sure that the corporation gets a clean break."
Kyouya was silent as he watched her talk smoothly, voice low, head held high. He leaned back in his chair to observe her some more as she began to stroll about the room.
"But that leaves the Ootori Corporation. Surely, you wouldn't allow your family's prestigious company to be financially dependent on Asakura, so you've planned to create a partnership between them and a company overseas." Her eyes shifted back to his and she offered him a smile. "Your family isn't so adverse to overseas partnerships. After all, they've always done well overseas. They have no reason to turn down this opportunity."
Kyouya didn't hurry to respond to her observations. She's always got a keen eye, but he didn't realize that over the course of the past couple of weeks, her eyes were not only trained to look through people, but through motives and plans of action. There was a swell of pride within him. He'd always known that she was special, but he never knew just how well she fit with him, and how well he with her.
He stood now, and strode over to her, gazing down into her wide eyes. Not innocent anymore—or perhaps they've never been innocent, they've just chosen to perceive differently. There was a complexity of emotion when he registered the loss of that doe-eyed innocence, but he couldn't imagine himself loving her any less. If anything—he took a deep breath—he loved her more for it.
Possibilities were an Ootori's advantage. Even the slightest chance, regardless of the percentage of success, can (and will) be a deal breaker. Kyouya used that to its maximum potential. Or rather, he usually did. This time though, he wondered why he couldn't take advantage of this possibility. It didn't feel right.
"Kyouya," Haruhi said, snapping him out of his reverie, "What will you do after this is all settled for the Ootori and Asakura Corporations?"
"Indeed," he murmured, more to himself than to her, as he reached out to push away a strand of her hair, "What will I do?"
"You would have completed your goal," Haruhi continued, absentmindedly allowing her fingers to dance across the back of his hand. "What's next? Staying here to make sure the companies do well?"
"No," Kyouya answered immediately. "How they choose to maximize their benefits is entirely their doing. I will have nothing left here."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing." He couldn't believe how easy it was to say.
"The twins? Tamaki? Nekozawa-senpai?"
"They are close friends, but they aren't anchoring factors in whether or not I stay here. We'll always find each other. I'm not worried about that at all."
"I see."
"Why do you ask?"
Haruhi smiled at him, "Let's sit down."
They spent the next hour discussing Haruhi's sudden e-mail and the request that came with it. A previous professor and mentor of hers had heard about the incident at Haruhi's own firm. When Haruhi left the United States for this small errand, she had referred her clients to a reliable friend and previous classmate. During the time in which Haruhi was in Japan, the said friend had dinner with the professor, and it was discussed that there was a case that which she was needed back in the States.
Kyouya watched her as she talked. There was always something new when it came to talking with Fujioka Haruhi. She was excited about this—a little frightened, a little intimidated, perhaps—but she wanted to return to the States and work on the case with her professor. She wanted to continue her own law firm afterwards, and settle down there.
He had absolutely no qualms or quibbles with her dreams. He's never did. And none of her plans would ever interfere with his, because all he's ever wanted was to support her and be near her. It was easy for him, too, since he's long began his own company. It was doing fairly well as it was, and he knew, somehow, back then, that it would never be based in Japan.
Even though things didn't go as he had planned after finding her in the United States of America, or with his brothers or their corporations, he felt that things are how they should be, and nothing, no meticulous planning, no scheming of his could have gotten them to where they should be. And wasn't that what was important?
"And I was wondering, Kyouya," Haruhi began, but she stopped suddenly.
He waited patiently, but she made no move to continue.
"Yes?"
"I was wondering," and then she trailed off again. He gave a chuckle and reached out to take her hand.
"Why don't we talk more about this over dinner? I'll be home early today."
"Sure," Haruhi laughed nervously before she waved and left his office as swift as she came.
When he returned home, he found Haruhi asleep on the couch. Her face was nuzzled into the crook of her arm, so he covered her with a light blanket and set to make dinner. He had originally thought of contacting Satoshi, their sushi chef, but thought better of it. Satoshi was the type of man who was unpredictable, and when it came to big announcements, always ended up mussing up original plans. And this was one plan he wasn't willing to risk.
He's always wanted to marry her. She was the only woman that he could imagine being with. Forever and beyond that. There could be no one else. If she was gone from him, he would never look at anyone else, even with her blessing. But there has always been the problem with whether or not she wanted to get married, whether she felt the same way. It was nerve-wracking, even for him.
"Kyouya?" He heard her over from the couch. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"I figured you needed some rest; I'm almost done with dinner."
There was a spot of silence before he could hear her pitter-pattering towards the kitchen.
"At least let me set the table?"
"Why don't you wash up?" he suggested as he took the plates down from the cupboard. "I'm almost done."
She laughed and left, though not without gazing back at him as she disappeared around the corner. He finished setting the table and stood by the table, deep in thought as he waited for Haruhi.
Ideally, he would see through the Ootori Corporation's signing of the contract with the Minami Group. Then, they'd finish whatever it is they need in Japan before returning to the States. It would take them a week at most. However, if Kyouya were completely honest, he was dreading the speculation that Akito and Yuuichi wouldn't be going down without a fight. Reiko had already agreed to Kyouya's terms—whether it was for her company's well-being or her own sanity, he was unclear—but that wasn't any indication that Akito would just take this turn of events lying down.
Haruhi came out, having changed out of her casual business attire into a comfortable sweater and jeans. With his heart in his throat, he wordlessly pulled out the chair for her. A soft, cold wind came through the balcony, and Kyouya made a mental note that they'll have to eat inside from now on.
It was a quiet meal—they've done enough talking for the day. Though even in their early days, they weren't big talkers. And somehow, things were better now. Felt better now. All of the puzzle pieces have fallen into place.
"You know," Haruhi spoke up, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I've always wondered something."
"Yes?"
"Why didn't you keep in touch? I thought, when we separated, that even though the romance was over, it didn't mean that the friendship was."
Kyouya gave a small, bitter laugh, "I was afraid you wouldn't want to be friends anymore."
"So you figured it would be better to cut things off completely?"
"Silly, isn't it?"
"Yes." Her voice was firm. "Very silly."
"Haruhi," he spoke as they finished their meal. She smiled at him with encouragement. "When I went to find you in America, I thought to myself that, even if you turned down helping Akito, it would be worth it to see you. Just to see how you were. It was silly, and selfish of me. I took into account, briefly, how it may pain you to see me again, but I still went. I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"I did cause you pain, showing up unexpected at your door, didn't I?"
"Well, yes," Haruhi said as her eyes glowed like small, but strong, stars blazing in darkness. It was filled with such a mixture of emotions that Kyouya wasn't quite sure what she was thinking. Or perhaps it was just the way the lights strung above them reflected in them? "But it was pretty much all self-inflicted. And, in any case, I am so very glad you did."
Kyouya clenched his fists as he fought the urge to reach over and embrace her tightly.
He took a deep breath, willed his mind at ease, and said, "Haruhi, there's nothing in the world that would make me as happy as I am right now. And even though there are times where I believed that I don't deserve any of this, you've always shown me that I do. I'd like to say that it's more than I deserve, but you've made me realize that I can become the person who deserves you, even if it takes me the rest of my life to prove that to you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the little blue box. Haruhi's eyes grew wide as did her smile. She waited, hands crossed on her lap.
He had debated, weeks ago, whether or not he'd get down on one knee to propose to her. When he presented this problem to Tamaki, and then Nekozawa, on separate occasions, they smiled at him in a very Hitachiin way and told him to figure it out himself. And as he sat, pondering the perfect moment one night—while she sat at her easel—he discovered that she would have preferred him not to. She was a modern woman, though not to say she wasn't traditional in some sense, but there was something about equality and balance for her. Putting her on a pedestal so long ago made her uncomfortable, and right now, at this crucial moment, he wanted her in as much ease as possible.
"Haruhi, will you marry me?"
The brunette said nothing as she slowly stood and made her way around the table.
It was troubling him now, as he made the quick, epiphanic observation that the entire reason he went to find her hadn't been for his own sake. It had been in the sake of his family, and that he had not planned nor intended to be so blessedly back in her life.
Don't you think, a little voice in his head said, there was a part of you that wanted to have her back with you when you went to find her?
Kyouya smiled to himself as Haruhi settled in his arms, eyes shining as she whispered her answer in his ear.
Yes.
Author's Note: Whoo hoo! Still took a while to get this chapter out, but not as long as the previous chapters! Doing what I do for a living, I get asked my age at least once a day. I never fail to feel old among the little ones. But, let's face it, I'm still a kid at heart. Just stuck in an older body!
Review if you'd like; constructive criticism is always appreciated. Hateful, angry flames, however, are NOT appreciated, and my army of zombified kitties will not hesitate to spit acid furballs at you or chew you up. That's why we should all be nice and support each other. Don't feed the angry zombie kitties!