Chapter 13- "Is this really necessary?"
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.
Although, I do own a few original characters that I have mentioned in this chapter. I'm pretty sure people won't actually use them but oh well. I'll write this anyway.
It was early in the morning, a time where most students were making their way to school, be that from a train, bus, a car ride or simply walking, but considering that this is Ouran students we're talking about, a limousine ride would most likely be the case. But this didn't include the host club, as they had all arrived early to talk about the afternoon's activities. Not much was spoken, only that the afternoon activities would be fairly relaxed and normal, which surprised the female host as most of the week's activities involved dressing up in extravagant and expensive items of clothing, sometimes speaking with a strange accent. Haruhi didn't question it, as she confused as she was. But she knew that if she questioned anything, she would receive a straight-forward answer from Kyoya, leaving her more baffled than before.
The cloudy skies appeared to have more cloud than sun, as a few strands of sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting unusual patterns on the polished floor. Haruhi, with her head under a plush sofa and a few chairs, called out to the other side of the spacious room. "Honey? Have you seen a textbook of mine?"
Honey skipped over from the grand doors of the Third Music Room, standing behind Haruhi as he gazed down at the disgruntled girl. "Which one, Haru-Chan?" The small host asked, bobbing his head to his side as he clutched Usa-Chan close to his chest.
"My Maths textbook, I think. My books have been misplaced a lot, lately." Haruhi emerged from under the chairs, dust gathering in her hair. She ran her hand through her locks as she stared at the second in command, who was busy listening to what Tamaki had to say, scribbling in his little black notebook from time to time. "Kyoya hasn't sold my stuff again, has he? Kaoru told me he even sold my pencil before."
Honey squatted down before the girl, placing his chin atop of the little bunny's pink head. "I'll help you look, Haru-chan!" Honey smile's faltered as his brows furrowed slightly. "But if Kyo-chan did sell your stuff, Tama-chan would be over here and apologise in his place, non-stop."
As the two close friends were engrossed in their conversation, which consisted of merrily chatting of school, cake, friends, cake and so on. They never noticed the tallest host silently stalk over, his eyes wandering between his cousin and the female host. "Haruhi."
Haruhi dusted herself off, missing a speck of dust on her flushed cheeks as she rose, staring up at the tall host. "Hey, Takashi." Haruhi smiled toothily, "What's up?"
"Here." Shoving his large hands towards her, were three textbooks in his possession. "I found them outside."
With her eyes wide open, she gladly eased the textbooks out from her elder's hands. With a slight blush dusting her cheeks, she quickly bowed before reaching up and giving the tall male a gentle hug.
"Thank you." She beamed up at him, letting one hand fall down to her side as the other grasped the textbooks.
Mori nodded, a small smile gracing his lips. He placed a hand upon Haruhi's head and ruffled it affectionately, earning a little chuckle from Honey. Mori's steady gaze wandered down from her doe-like eyes, noticing some dust on her cheek. He carefully reached down, placing his thumb on her flushed cheek, gently sweeping in an upwards direction. As he retracted his thumb, Haruhi only smiled up at him, blushing heavily.
Honey chuckled, giving the two an I-see-how-it-goes-here look as he crawled up his cousin's back, plonking down on his broad shoulders. "If you ever lose your books again, don't be afraid to call us, Haru-chan." Honey smiled contently down at the two, noticing Haruhi's flushed face and his cousin's slightly red cheeks. Oh, young love…
"You know, I never thought people could slip on banana peels, Haruhi." Kaoru learnt against the wall, laughing slightly as he stared at the pouting girl on the floor. They were on their way to their morning classes and the hallways were strangely empty, with a few students running here and there, never giving the two hosts a second glance.
The girl sat on her bottom, rubbing her lower back as she pouted in Kaoru's direction. "Instead of laughing, you could help me up." Haruhi huffed as Kaoru offered a hand, which she gladly accepted. Kaoru yanked her up, turning her around and swiping specs of dirt from her blazer.
"Geez, Haruhi." Kaoru laughed, receiving a glare from Haruhi as she looked over her shoulder. "You should be more careful."
"I was careful! It just appeared out of nowhere." Haruhi argued, shifting the strap so that it lay more comfortable over her shoulder.
"Banana peels can't just pop out from the ground, Haruhi." Kaoru countered, grinning. "Maybe it fell from your pocket, or something." He chuckled, jokily giving her a slight push.
"Haruhi, move!"
"What?"
Haruhi landed on her bottom, with Natsumi sprawled across her lap. They were just exiting the main building, walking back to their classes as lunch had just finished. Natsumi pushed herself up, resting on her knees as she inspected Haruhi.
"You're not hurt, are you?" Worry laced Natsumi's quiet voice, causing Haruhi to process just what happened. Haruhi looked at her friend, her reflection shining off the cloud lenses of Natsumi's glasses. Fixing her bag over her slender shoulder, Haruhi steadily rose to her feat, staring at the girl in front of her.
"I'm fine… But you just pushed me, which surprised me. Why do you ask?"
"Take a look for yourself." Natsumi gestured behind her, where Haruhi stood only moments ago. A cracked red plant pot had fell from the storey above, the soil oozing from the cracks and spilling on to the ground.
"That… That could have landed on my head…" Haruhi frowned, switching her gaze from the plant pot to the back of her friend's head. As Natsumi inspected the pot, switching her gaze to the open window above them, Natsumi's high ponytail bobbed slowly, uncertainly.
"Don't mention it." Natsumi cupped her chin, staring at the window where the plant had fallen from. A blur of yellow passed open window, as Natsumi's mismatched eyes widened in shock, hidden behind her glasses. "You go on to class, Haruhi." Natsumi mumbled, glancing over her shoulder. "Isn't your class starting? Mine will start in five minutes. I'll see you later."
Natsumi left without receiving an answer from Haruhi. The girl ran up a flight of stairs which were situated close by, running to the hall that Natsumi guessed where the plant had fallen. She peered out from the window, narrowing her eyes as she spotted the broken plant pot.
Natsumi rested her elbows against the window sill, cupping her cheeks as she stared at the splattered soil down below. Was this an accident? Or was someone deliberately trying to harm Haruhi? But that was absurd! Who want to harm Haruhi?There was no reason for Haruhi to be picked on but as Natsumi walked down the steps, her hand lightly sweeping the cool metal banister, she couldn't help shivering a little. Natsumi didn't know if the reason was that the temperature had just dropped a little, or the feeling that she was being watched.
Haruhi stared out from her classroom window, cupping her chin in one hand as the other drummed unsteadily against the wooden table. As she watched the retreating sight of the majority of the Ouran's students, she sighed a little. Haruhi really wasn't particularly in the mood for the host club, and that was particularly influenced by a nagging voice in the back of her mind agreed with her. It was stupid really, but as uncertainty bubbled in her stomach, she abruptly stood up, causing the legs of the chair to scrape noisily against the floor.
The bell had rung, maybe ten minutes ago, signalling that school was over. The long hallways were silent and empty, with a few loitering students quickly waddling away as they held their books tightly, their knuckles white as they rushed past.
Haruhi sighed, lowering her head and staring at the ground just in front of her feet as she walked, not really paying attention. A pair of black, well polished school shoes came into her view which caused Haruhi's eyes to travel to the person's face.
"Haruhi-kun!" The girl smiled, her dark blonde bangs framing her small face with her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun, a few strands coiling on the back of her neck. In her small hand, were a pair of glasses and as she nervously fiddled with them, she warmly smiled. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah, hello. I'm heading to the host club." Haruhi smiled at the kind girl, who only lowered her face in response.
"I mustn't keep you then, Haruhi-kun. Have fun!" She tilted her head to the side, her bangs following her movements as she politely smiled. She reached up, standing on the balls of her feet as she gave Haruhi a firm hug. "I'll see you in class. Bye then!"
Haruhi smiled as she watched the small girl side-step around her, watching her retreating figure round the corner at the end of the hallway. But what Haruhi failed to notice, as the girl made her exit, was the small scowl set on the girl's features.
Haruhi ambled towards the end of the hallway, knowing that once she rounded the corner and at the end of that hallway, was the Third Music Room. With one hand she pushed open one grand door, smiling as she stepped in, as she let the door shut, alerting the others that she had finally arrived.
"Haruhi~!" A set of strong arms wrapped around her small frame, sending her spinning around the room. But Haruhi sighed and went along with it, ignoring the little nervous feeling bubbling in her stomach. "Haruhi. I missed you so much!"
"Missed you too, senpai." Haruhi replied, her words muffled as Tamaki held her head to his chest. "Now," Haruhi placed her hands on her the blonde's chest, "I have to go study before we start."
"Whaaa?" Tamaki sniffed, tightening his grip on the girl. "Can't you study later?" He sounded hurt, and Haruhi bit her lip slightly. She didn't want to see her friend upset, but she had to study.
"I'm sorry, Tamaki." Haruhi said with a sad smile, again placing her hands on his chest. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" She pushed him back slightly, expecting him to cry out and hold her tighter. But when he didn't, and when he let his arms fall to his side, he smiled down at the girl. "It's a promise!" He grinned, before skipping away.
That idiot. Always so carefree, Haruhi smiled as she made her way over to the far corner, waving at Honey and Kyoya as she passed. She pulled out a chair, sitting on the plush cushion comforting to her unfortunately-going-to-be-bruised bottom.
"Haru-chan! What ch'you doing?"
"Revising Geography, Mitsukini." Haruhi pulled out a folder from her bag, setting it on the table before her as she turned in her seat slightly, facing her friend.
"Do you need any help?"
"No, not at the moment. I'll call you if I do, though." Haruhi shifted her gaze back to the table, as she skimmed through a few of her notebooks of the subject. She stopped on a random page, her head snapping up as read this particular word - hold. Hold, holding, holder… Haruhi reached into her blazer pocket, frowning as she searched for her wallet.
"Darn. I've forgotten my wallet." Haruhi sighed, rising to her feet. "Pardon me, Mitsukini. I just have to go get it."
"Your wallet? What was that doing out in your class?"
"I usually keep my phone in my wallet and Kaoru kept texting me, although Hikaru told him to knock it off a few times, which was nice of him. So, I turned my phone off, stuffing it in my wallet and I must have shoved under the desk instead of placing it in my blazer." Haruhi grumbled, placing a hand on the door. "So, please excuse me." And with that, she left.
The spacious room was silent, as they all slowly realised that the female host had left. Tamaki ran into the middle of the room, his arms flailing about. "Mommy! Where did our precious daughter go?" He cried, sniffling.
"Calm down, Tama-chan!" Honey tried to comfort the teen, but to no avail. "Haru-chan's gone to fetch her wallet."
"Oh." That seemed to quieten him down, before he sniffled, "But why didn't she tell me?"
Kyoya sighed, snapping his notebook shut. He stared at the hosts in turn, causing them to quieten as they all waited for what he had to say. "As Haruhi has left for a while, I feel it is time to discuss a few things."
"About what?" The twins questioned, sitting side by side on a nearby sofa. Although the relationship between the two had improved, Kaoru wasn't fully open with his brother. Hikaru, however, had seemed to notice this, but he didn't let it show. The youngest twin snuck a glance at his brother, noticing the worry in his eyes.
"Recently, I have noticed that Haruhi is missing a lot of things." the black-haired teen stated, answered with the rest of the hosts nodding. "And also, Natsumi informed me earlier today that a plant pot 'fell' from the second floor, almost landing on herself and Haruhi."
"The plant pot could have been an accident, though. There are a few clumsy people in this school." Kaoru suggested, leaning his elbows on his knees. There were a few nods and hums from the hosts, but Kyoya shook his head slightly. "But," Kaoru added, "She slipped on a banana peel on the way to class… Could that have been an accident?"
"I have realised that there is a possibility that those incidents could have been the results of a few clumsy students, but I can't take any chances. With losing her books, tripping on objects and a pot almost falling on her head, it sounds like someone is deliberately trying to harm her or shake her spirits a little."
"But do we know anything about the person, Kyo-chan?"
"Yes. When the plant pot had just fallen, Natsumi happened to look up and spot a blonde head. She then went up to investigate, noting that she could look out the window perfectly with the window sill reaching her chin. She then informed me that she could faintly see a forehead along with the blonde hair, when she was on the ground floor. That told me that the person, is smaller than herself and Haruhi."
Kyoya waited for the murmurs among the friends to die down. He pushed up his glasses, coughing a little to clear his throat. "So, I have drawn up a survey of people with blonde hair and who are smaller than 5'1. There are a total of six girls in the school, with matching results. You ended up as a result in the survey, Honey but I have excluded you as I know you would never deliberately harm Haruhi."
The shadow king handed a piece of paper to the twins, which on it two names that were scribbled along with two photos. The first picture showed a girl, with a beauty mark under her left eye. She had piercing blue eyes which were full of laughter, and a small smile. "Kazumi Gato, 1-A." Kaoru read, observing the picture of said girl. The second picture, showed a girl with dark brown eyes, hiding behind a pair of glasses. She had two, long straight bangs framing her face and her long, wavy blonde hair tumbled past her shoulders. "Aya Kimura, 1-A." Hikaru read, taking the photo of said girl.
"Seeing as there is two from your class, I want you to investigate. Kaoru, you take Gato and Hikaru will take Kimura." Kyoya drawled, handing paper with two stapled pictures, to Honey and Mori.
"On that page you will find, Emiru Kaneko, 2-D and Izumi Kimura, 3-A."
"Kaneko's in Rei-Chan's class! I'll talk to her then." Honey said, pocketing the paper and holding the photo of the girl between his finger and thumb. The photo depicted a young-looking, with a sad expression set on her pale face, with hazel eyes and had surprisingly long bangs, but her blonde hair reached her chin. The second photo that Mori held showed a girl just bordering 5'1, with long wavy bangs lying in front of her shoulders, with long blonde hair stopping mid-back. She looked very serious, as if she had a strict up-bringing and her dark brown eyes held no emotion. "You will speak to the elder Kimura, Mori."
"Tamaki will deal with a girl in our class, Haruka Yamamaki." Kyoya held up a picture of a stick-thin girl with curly blonde hair. Noticing her dull, green eyes, which were hidden behind thick glasses, and forced smile as he passed the photo to Tamaki, which he received with a small frown. "As I will deal with Yuka Iwasaki, 2-B." This girl had her long blonde hair plaited down her back. She was smiling happily, and her glasses were on the tip of her nose. In the photo, with one eye opened, the other was closed as one hand tried to push up her glasses.
"Is this really necessary?" Hikaru questioned. "I mean, all the photos and bits of information about them? It feels like someone as committed a crime, or something."
Kyoya's head snapped up sharply, causing Hikaru to quiver in his spot. "Yes." The black-haired teen barked, "It is." Kyoya sighed, dipping his head as he spoke in a gentler tone. "I do not wish to see Haruhi harmed. She is a dear friend, and we all care about her." Kyoya yet again sighed, and all went silent. After a few moments of silence, Kyoya rubbed the side of his temple, blankly staring at Hikaru as he muttered, "I'm sorry for snapping," under his breath.
Everyone's eyes slowly widened as they registered what had been said. Kyoya. Apologising. All were confused as a shocked expression was apparent on their faces, some with their hands covering their agape mouths, with that being Hikaru and Tamaki. Sure, Kyoya had a knack for apologising with his actions, and he has given a few apologetic words before, but never in a case like this.
"Don't stare at me like I have two heads. I am perfectly capable of apologising every so often." Kyoya said curtly, crossing his legs and placing his interlocked hands on his knees. The light of the dim sun shone in through the window, glinting off his glasses. All nodded their heads, murmuring their apologies at the teen in front of them. "Now, enough about me." Dismissing the subject, Kyoya faced Hikaru, who was trembling at the heavy gaze Kyoya had set upon him.
"How is the situation going with Haruhi?" Tamaki quietly asked, nodding towards the twins.
In all fairness, the situation regarding Haruhi had been going well ever since the incident at Kyoya's, which was a couple of weeks ago. Hikaru had managed to apologise for his doings, and their relationship had steadily started to climb from rock-bottom. But, as much as Hikaru wanted to apologise for being an absolute jerk for how he reacted and what he said since the day Haruhi lost her memories, he never found the time to. Before the incident at Kyoya's, Hikaru was down-right mad at Haruhi, or so he thought. But as time progressed, he had realised that he wasn't angry at her, and that he should have no right to. He was just angry at himself, and he was caught up in that boiling anger, he never realised that he and Haruhi, and the entire Host Club could concoct new memories for all of them to smile and laugh at. But as much as he wanted to atone for his mistakes, Haruhi had brushed him off, claiming that she was busy and didn't have the time to chat. It was understandable, seeing that she had to constantly work hard to remain top position of her class and also, she still felt uneasy around him, but Hikaru understood that too. So, as hard as he will, eventually he will apologise.
"So-so…" Hikaru grumbled, "Every time I go up to talk to her, we manage to talk for awhile and when I try to apologise but she always hurries off."
"Well, at least you tried, Hika-chan." Honey reassured, squeezing his little rabbit close to his chest. "There's always next time, though. And I'm sure she will listen to you."
The relationships between all the hosts and Hikaru had improved as well, since Kyoya's. When Hikaru first tried to speak to Haruhi since then and repent for his actions, Haruhi sadly brushed him off, busy with studying. So, he went to Kaoru and talked with his brother. Kaoru was happy to know that Hikaru had realised what of a jerk he had been, and was all happy to help him ask for forgiveness from all the others, but the youngest twin still wasn't fully open, which saddened Hikaru. Some hadn't taken it too well, but with time they had all gotten closer. Even a little helped. Now all of them crowded around each other, thinking of plans for Hikaru to apologise to the only female host.
"This situation may help your current problem." Mori glanced down at Hikaru, his face emotionless like stone. Hikaru dipped his head forwards, shadowing his eyes as he processed what his friends were saying.
"Mm-hmm, Hika-chan! Be positive, okay?"
This chapter has been edited, and reposted.