Chapter 15 - "I don't know. I just don't know."
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club
Blurs of yellow and blotches of blue flew past Haruhi's sight as she weaved her way through the oncoming crowd of students, scuttling amongst them in the opposite direction as she made her journey to the club room. The Host Club was closed today, but that didn't stop Haruhi from heading there. She needed somewhere to study, and the club room was the only suitable place - today, it would be quiet and peaceful.
Haruhi rounded the corner, the Third Music Room at the end of the hall. She gripped her bag, leisurely walking up to the grand doors of the music room. Instead of finding closed doors, she found Natsumi and Kyoya who were quietly conferring amongst themselves about who knows what. The brunette walked closer, lifting a hand and waving at the two, who offered their own smiles and waved back. Kyoya glanced down at Natsumi who stood beside him, nodding his head as he signalled it was time to put their plan into action.
"Hey there, Haruhi." Walking towards the said girl, Natsumi gently grasped Haruhi's wrist. "Do you want to come to my house today? Ryuuji has been pestering me about bringing you around. He would love to meet you!"
Haruhi knitted her eyebrows together, not expecting this at all. Before she had time to answer, Kyoya added, "Don't worry, Haruhi. You can go. There's no Host Club today and you'll have time to revise later. Go, have fun."
"Are you sure, Natsumi? I feel like I'm barging in…"
"Aw, c'mon! Father and Ryuuji will love you." Natsumi dismissed her worry, tightening her fingers around Haruhi's slender wrist. Without waiting for an answer, Natsumi led the way down the hall, back the way Haruhi had just came. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed the confused expression on her friend's face and the smirk on Kyoya's, only to smile at the sight.
The two made their to the front of the massive school, walking down the aisles of neatly trimmed trees, mindlessly talking about their day and so forth. A sleek black limousine was already waiting for them at the gates, accompanied by a brown-haired teen holding the rear door open. Natsumi bounded over, thanking the boy and stepped into the back. Haruhi followed, and so did the boy, gently shutting the door after him.
Haruhi and Natsumi sat across from the door, as the boy sat in front of Natsumi. Haruhi figured this was her brother, Ryuuji. He leant back in his seat, arms folded behind his head, cushioning it as he gazed out the window. He had messy, short brown hair, the same colour as Natsumi's and he shared the reddish glint that his sister had. He had dark green eyes, which was now focused on the passing scenery as the three teens and chauffeur drove to the Nakayama mansion.
"Are you going to introduce yourself?" Natsumi questioned, poking her brother in the shins with the tip of her shoe. Her brother pouted, fixating his gaze on his sister's smiling face. He glanced over towards Haruhi.
"I'm Ryuuji. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Ryuuji. I'm Haruhi."
"I know who you are. Natsumi doesn't stop talking about you." Ryuuji sighed, folding his arms across his chest. The boy looked fourteen or fifteen, and even though he looked quite rough outwards, the brunette felt that he was a kind boy. Haruhi smiled at the boy, who didn't seem to notice as he had his gaze solely fixated outside, not bothering to pay anymore attention to what was happening inside the limo. Natsumi only sighed, rolling her eyes as she muttered about what bad manners her brother had, causing Haruhi to chuckle. Haruhi didn't mind.
Ten minutes of comfortable silence passed, until the chauffeur grandly announced that they had arrived at the Nakayama mansion. The three teens piled out, the door held open by the elderly chauffeur. They all thanked the man, who nodded in response, hopped back into the limo and drove along a small windy road, running to the side of the mansion. Haruhi stood at the door, her head raised as she stared at the towering building. It was fairly massive, but not as grand as Mitsukini's as she remembered.
The grand, wooden doors swept open revealing a man clad in a neatly ironed suit, who stood at the door with a stern expression set on his serious face. His chocolate brown hair was gelled back, a slight stubble specked his chin and his dark grey eyes shone in the sunlight as he inspected his children and their friend.
"Hello, Father. How did your business trip fare?" Natsumi straightened her back, quickly taking off her glasses, holding them between her hands as she clasped them together, letting them lay in front of her yellow dress for a uniform.
The man said nothing, only ushered his children and their guest inside. Once the grand doors swept closed, only then he answered his daughter.
"It went well." the man sighed, running a hand through his gelled locks, "I hope you and Ryuuji were okay, seeing as I was gone for a few days."
"We were fine, Dad." Ryuuji answered, his hands loosely hanging in his pockets. "Besides, Gray, George, Bella and Lucy were here to keep us company."
The man curtly nodded, turning on his heel and offered a small bob of his head towards Haruhi. "Nice to finally meet you, Fujioka. Ever since you befriended my daughter, she has talked about you non-stop. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Likewise, Nakayama-san. It's a pleasure to meet you." Haruhi responded, offering a small smile as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The sibling's father held up a hand, a quick roll of his hand informing Haruhi that he did not wish to be called in that manner. "Please, call me Katsuro. Nakayama-san is too formal, if you know what I mean. Please, make yourself at home. I'm sorry I can't stay for longer but I must leave, I have a few classes to teach." And with that, the man left.
"I better be going to." Ryuuji sighed, running a hand through his messy hair, much like his father had done to his carefully gelled locks. "See you, nee-chan, Haruhi." Natsumi nodded, with Haruhi giving a quick wave, and with that he ran up the stairs and to his left, disappearing from sight.
"You know, Natsumi…" Haruhi said, turning to her friend who had now placed her glasses on her slim nose. She cocked her head to the side, as Haruhi continued, "I like your family. You should have brought me around much earlier."
Natsumi laughed, linking her arm with Haruhi and dragged her up the massive staircase. "Uh huh," She grinned.
"No seriously. I'm telling the truth."
"Oh, Haruhi."
Walking into the spacious Third Music Room, Kyoya let the grand wooden doors gently sweep shut behind him as he stood with his hands behind his back, watching over his friends who sat huddled together in the middle of the room. The Shadow King promptly walked over, placing his hands on the back of one of the two sofas as he gazed, letting his dark eyes wander from everyone's face. Clearing his throat, mostly to try grab his friend's attention and partly because there was small lump in his throat, he finally stood in the spot light as five pairs of eyes swivelled in his direction.
"Haruhi has now left. She is currently heading to Natsumi's home, presumably staying there until we finish this matter." The dark haired man stated, giving his glasses a slight push up his slender nose.
"I don't like doing this behind her back, Kyo-chan…" The eldest host sighed, his words muffled as he snuggled into his pink Rabbit. There was a quiet murmur passing around the group with Mori simply nodding, stating how he did not like this either. But it had to be done. Kyoya did not want to see his friend hurt, after all. Especially since she was in an accident a little while back.
"I don't like doing this either, Honey-senpai, but it must be done."
"What will happen to us if Haruhi finds out?" Kaoru gasped, his eyes widening ever so slightly. "She'll surely beat us to a pulp…" His words lingered in the air as the group of friends shivered at the mental image they had placed into their minds.
"Heh…" Tamaki nervously gulped, running a hand through his hair as he shook himself free of his dastardly mental image. "Best not to think of that, Kaoru…"
"Guys!" Honey whined, a pout clear on his child-like face as he quietly fumed at his taller friends. It only made him more adorable than he already was, if that was possible. "Let Kyoya speak!"
"Thank you, Honey-sempai." Clearing his throat, he continued, "All of us need to speak to the Kimura sisters." Raising a hand to silence the oncoming shrieks of his worried friends, he said, "Before all of you start screaming at me, I believe it is the best choice of action."
"Now," he continued, "I need two of you to fetch the Kimura sisters. The elder, Izumi will be in the Student Council room, seeing as she is Vice-President. Aya will be located in one of the many libraries, presumably a quite one. Any volunteers?" Kyoya asked, folding his arms across his chest as he inspected each and every face of his friends, watching them closely behind the reflective light emitting from his glasses.
No hands rised, and that was to be expected. Facing the twins who sat in front of him, seeing as he was still standing behind one sofa that was closet near the door, he stared at them until they slowly turned round, already foreseeing what was going to be said.
"Hikaru, Kaoru…"
Sighing, the twin rose to their feet, dusting off their blazers as they straightened up and trying to look presentable as they slowly ambled towards the grand doors. "One of you head to the Stu-"
"Yeah, yeah." Hikaru sighed, stuffing his hands into his trouser pockets. "We know." Kaoru added, holding open one door for his brother, ushering him through then following him as he firmly shut the door, cutting off what else Kyoya had to say.
The two twins ambled down the empty hallway, hands stuffed in their pockets as they walked in silence. Both had many thoughts swirling around their minds, hence the silence between the two usually bubbly brothers. Weak sunlight filtered through the high windows, the dust particles floating in the air clearly visible in the small streams of sunlight as they walked down the empty corridors.
It was Kaoru who broke the silence between him and his brother. "I'll go search for Aya's sister, okay?"
Hikaru's only response was a quick nod, as the images of Aya intruded his mind. At the end of the hall, two other hallways branched off on either side. Slowing to a stop, the two brothers stood side by side, each peering down at the empty corridor.
"Student Council's to the left. I'll see you soon then."
It wasn't long before each twin saw each other again where the two corridors branched off, with a blonde slowly following behind them. The two brothers and sisters quietly greeted each other, before trudging along in silence towards the Third Music Room. The two brothers walked in uncomfortable silence, knowing on how the hosts would let the rage flow from their beings and onto the two poor unsuspecting girls. But it was their fault, or it was one's fault. One sister however, quietly trembled as each step grew heavier, with the Third Music Room looming in her mind. They had found out. They had found out she had tried to harm Haruhi, and now they wanted to punish her. She knew she have never of gone through with her plan… It seemed like a good idea at the time but now, she was regretting her actions. She would be punished. Punished by a few of the most famous and powerful families in all Japan. And it didn't help that her family business was only little compared to the families of the other four men she was anxious to meet…
The grand doors of the 'abandoned' Third Music Room opened in a slow manner, causing one of the Kimura sisters hearts to thump wildly in her chest, the blood pumping in her ears, causing difficulties for her hearing. The twins and the Kimura sisters were greeted with the impassive face of the mighty Kyoya Ootori, his face serious yet calm, showing no emotion. What little emotion was present in his cold, grey eyes was hidden behind his reflective lenses, giving him a scary appearance. She shook slightly, but quickly was brought out of her trembling manner as she was directed into the middle of the room along with her sister. She and her sister were offered a seat by the Hosts and she gladly took one, plopping down unladylike but afterwards, she did fix her posture just ever so slightly. She didn't care, though. She was on her feet all day, and her sore feet need a good rest.
Kyoya took a seat in front of them, with Mori flanking his left and Tamaki his right. The twins stood tall behind Tamaki, and Honey hugged Usa-Chan close to his chest as he sat on the arm of the sofa near Mori, quietly watching the Kimura sisters through calm eyes.
It was silent for a brief moment or two, all quite confused on how they were going to start the conversation. Finally, Kyoya quietly asked the twins to go make tea which they happily agreed to do so, practically skipping away from the awful atmosphere that was slowly building up, consuming the hosts and the two guests, making one guest in particular squirm in her seat.
The elder of the Kimura sisters, Izumi, sat upright with her back straight and her hands folded in her lap. Aya on the other hand was slumped back in her seat, arms lazily thrown across her chest. Izumi sighed, rolling her eyes as she gave her sister a sharp jab in the ribs, to which Aya yelped at. Grumbling under her breath, Aya straightened up and mimicked her older sister's actions, glancing at her from the corner of her eye, watching her sister take on the role of the mature and wiser older sibling.
The atmosphere was heavily growing more tense, and the Kimura sisters did not know what to do about it. They were never taught anything for situations like so, they went on their instincts.
"Is there a reason that you sent for us, Ootori-san?" Izumi asked, gently swiping her bangs behind her ear.
"Yes. Can you hazard a guess as to why you were called in here, Kimura?" His cold, emotionless voice hung in the air as the elder sister thought hard about why he said.
"No, Ootori-san. I cannot."
That's it. She couldn't take it anymore. The guilt was eating her up. It bubbled in her stomach, slowly and painfully travelling up her chest, forming a lump in her throat as she noiselessly gulped a few times. Kyoya flicked his head in her direction, the reflective glare from his glasses gone and stared at her briefly, his eyes telling her that he already knew.
"Well," Kyoya mused, "have you heard of Haruhi Fujioka?"
"Yes, I have heard of him. I don't mean to pry but why do you ask?"
She grasped her uniform tightly, her mouth parting slightly so her tongue could slowly run over her bottom lip. She needed to say it now, before her guilt worsened and she couldn't. She needed to say it.
Distracted by the quick arrival of the twins, one carrying a tray full of tea while the other carried a small tray of what appeared to be cake on top of the silver platter, she kept silent for now.
Hikaru and Kaoru handed out a cup of tea to everyone, which the Kimura sisters politely took. Sipping the hot beverage, the atmosphere was suffocating. She couldn't do this anymore, not with this tension looming in the air. She was about to open her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the taller blonde haired man, whose name she thought was Tamaki.
"We'll come to that later. For now, let's finish our drinks and just merrily chat."
"Natsumi…?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Why did you bring me here?"
"Eh… Because I wanted to?"
"No, seriously tell me."
"Erm, I… uh…"
The conversation between the two best friends continued in such a way like this, with Haruhi laying sprawled out on her back on Natsumi's vast bed and with Natsumi sitting at her desk, drumming her fingers against the old, wooden table.
Finally, after about fifteen minutes of pestering, Haruhi finally managed to pry her long awaited answer out from Natsumi. Pouting, Natsumi stared at the corner of the room. "I'm only telling you this because after awhile, you're pestering gets more annoying than Tamaki's."
Smirking, Haruhi only stared at the girl, prompting her to finish her answer. "Well…" Natsumi began, twiddling her thumbs. She wasn't sure on where to begin, and she wasn't sure on how to word it properly so that her friends heads would be safely intact and on their bodies, not on spikes surrounding Haruhi's apartment. "Itwasaplancreatedtolureyouawayfromschoolsotheguyscouldbringinandquestionthepeopleouttogetyou." Taking a deep breath, she continued. "So, yeah. That's why."
Her face was stone-like, unmoving and unfaltering as she quietly stared at her friend, who had backed up in her seat and staring at the girl through scared eyes. Breathing deeply, Haruhi tried to calm her raging inner self before she began to talk. "Natsumi." The said girl flinched at Haruhi's calm yet deadly voice, but made no move to speak. "Can you please repeat what you just said but slower?"
"You're here because one, I really wanted you to come over. And two, Kyoya need a plan to get you out of school so he and the host club could find the guys that were out to get you, bring them to the club room and question them. They believed it was the best course of action..."
It was eerily silent in Natsumi's bedroom, and one could see dark aura emitting from the brunette sitting upright on the vast bed. On the outside, she was calm but on the inside, she was fuming. How dare her friends go behind her back and try to sort out her problems? She could understand why of course, but they actually went and did it! Smacking her hand against her forehead, she made sure to scold her friends later when she saw them. They were idiots. Complete and utter fools.
"I'm guessing you want to go back to school and rough 'em up a bit, yeah?" The bedroom door burst open, revealing Ryuuji who stood with his hands in his pockets, his shoulder digging into the wooden door frame.
"Ryuuji!" Natsumi screeched, picking up a small object from her desk and flung it at her brother. The small tiger teddy smacked Ryuuji in the middle of his forehead, and he simply rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't listen in to a conversation between girls!"
Puffing air out from his lips, his bangs fluttered as he stood in the direction of his sister, not saying anything. "I'll call George round with a limo so he can take you there, 'kay?" And with that, he spun round on his heel and walked out the open door, firmly shutting it behind him. Natsumi scurried on over to the door, bending down to scoop the little tiger so it was cradled in her arms as she gently placed it back on her desk.
"I'm…sorry, Haruhi…"
Haruhi breathed out the breath she didn't realise she was holding, running a hand through her hair. "It's okay. You were only worried about me, and I understand that… but that won't stop me from having a very serious talk with you and the others. But, that will be dealt with later. My first priority is to go to school, and face my own problems."
"But..."
"Now, are you coming with me or not?"
"No, it's true. I remember another time when Hikaru dres-"
Hikaru slapped a hand across his brother's mouth, his face flushed pure red. Glaring at his brother, he forcedly chuckled, "That's enough, Kaoru. I'm sure our guests have had enough now."
Aya chuckled into her hand, setting her tea down with the other as she gazed about the hosts. Swiping a loose bang behind her ear, a devilish smirk appeared on her dainty face. "I would actually love to hear more, Kaoru-kun." She teased.
"Aya, that's enough." The elder Kimura sighed, motioning to her sister to stop teasing the Hitachiin twins. Izumi sighed yet again, shaking her head at her sister's actions, she turned to Kyoya who had leant back in his seat, silent as he watched the conversation unfurl, he himself hidden behind his glasses.
"It has been pleasant chatting to you all but I'm sad to say that Aya and I must leave. I still have to attend to the Student Council unlike Miss Freeloader."
The Kimura sisters were about to rise, when the reflective glare from Kyoya's glasses faded, showing the sad, stone eyes behind. Furrowing their brows together, one in confusion and one slightly anxious to what he was going to say, his words were cut off when they heard talking from the hallway leading up to the Third Music Room.
"They're here… aren't they?"
"Don't kill them on first sight, please."
"Once I get my hands on them…"
"No bloodshed Haruhi. Well, not in front of their 'guests'…"
The voices were growing louder with each step they took, becoming closer to the doors of Third Music Room. The hosts blanked, one Kimura sister furrowed her eyebrows yet again in confusion while the other trembled slightly. She knew it was him walking up the hallway. She didn't want to see him now, but she needed to apologise. She needed to banish this overwhelming sense of regret and guilt, and start fresh. But when she heard his voice, she panicked. He was getting closer, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Suddenly, the doors burst open revealing an enraged Haruhi standing at the door with Natsumi at her side. A heavy, dark aura was emitting from the furious girl, and the hosts cowered in the seats as they quickly glanced between the two girls at the door, knowing what hell Natsumi had been put through, telling the truth.
As if the dark aura surrounding her never existed, a smile flickered at her lips. "Oh, hello everyone. I didn't expect you to be here. May I please be left alone with Aya and Izumi-senpai? Thank you." The hosts quickly filed out from the room, avoiding eye contact with the girl. As they all passed her, practically hopping from one foot to the other as they tried as quickly as they could to leave, under her breath she said, "I'll see to you guys later. Be. Prepared." She hissed.
The hosts quickly left, too afraid to stay in the same room with an enraged Haruhi. The doors shut behind them, and Haruhi let out a deep sigh as she and Natsumi walked over towards the Kimura sisters, who slowly rose to their feet to greet them.
"I'm sorry for any problems they may have caused. I hope they caused you no trouble."
"No, not at all Fujioka-kun. Quite the opposite actually. They called us in here, we had tea and we talked for some time." Izumi responded, once again taking a seat. She fixed her uniform before continuing. "Although, before our conversation with the hosts, Kyoya had said we were called in here to discuss something about you. Do you know what it would be about?"
Haruhi took a seat in front of Izumi, where Kyoya had sat moments before. Natsumi quietly sat down beside her, the light reflecting off the lenses, reminding the Kimura sisters of Kyoya. Shaking that notion out of their heads, they turned their attention towards Haruhi who was happily smiling in their direction.
Humming, Haruhi replied, "I do."
Those two, simple words caused one of the sisters to tremble, not enough to catch anyone's attention, but she trembled. Those two, simple words caused a range of emotions travel through her body, coursing through her veins, and she was ready to burst. The light conversation between herself, her sister and the hosts despite the heavy atmosphere had been a little distraction, but now that Haruhi was there in the flesh, she was enveloped by her feelings.
"Haruhi."
"Hm? Do you want some more tea, Aya? I could go get you some more snacks, if you wish."
"Why…"
Izumi narrowed her eyes, unsure of what her sister had said. Lightly elbowing her on her arm, she told her sister to speak up when spoken to. Aya, whose head had been dipped forward with her bangs partly covering her eyes, along with her glasses, lifted her head and faced Haruhi, with a sad smile set on her face.
Taking off her glasses and gently setting them on the coffee table in front of her, she quietly breathed, "Why? Why are you being so nice…? Even to me…"
Haruhi was about to speak, but was quickly interrupted by the elder sister. "What do you mean, Aya? What's wrong?"
Her dark brown eyes were full of great sadness, and full of regret as she rubbed one eye, sadly staring at the girl in front of her. She ignored the concerned questions from her sister, and tried to speak. But Haruhi held up a hand.
"It's you, isn't it." It was not a question, but a statement. Haruhi, in that moment, knew the answer she had searched for. "You are the one, correct?"
"Haruhi…" Aya sniffed, her chin wobbling as she raised both hands to her face, driving her palms into her eyes as she tried not to cry. She couldn't cry. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't show just how weak she was.
"Tell me what is going on!" Izumi demanded, staring back and forth between the expressionless classmate of her little sister, and the sniffling self of her sibling. "Please…"
"It was nothing serious, Kimura-san." Haruhi quietly responded, neither showing any kind of emotion in her voice or actions.
"Nothing serious?" Aya screeched, her hands falling onto her lap and tightly clenching her bright uniform between her slender fingers, "I… The pot… If it wasn't for my carefully timed out preparations… It, no I. I could have seriously harmed you, or… killed you..."
"Aya, just what-" Izumi's words trailed off as she finally saw through the cracks of Haruhi's expressionless exterior. Great and utter sadness was etched on the Haruhi's face, and Izumi was speechless. She'd only ever seen that expression when she heard the news. And that's when it clicked.
"You… were the one that Uncle Takao hit…weren't you?"
"Haruhi…" The smaller Kimura sniffed, reaching a hand out to said girl. "You don't… You don't realise how sorry I am… I never intended to seriously harm you…" At this point, Aya broke down in tears. The guilt was just too much to bear, so she let it out.
"I know you didn't, Aya." Haruhi gently took hold of Aya's hand, and squeezed it reassuringly. Aya sobbed harder, the tears cascading down her face onto her uniform, the dark splotches causing weird patterns on the bright yellow of her uniform. "Believe me, I do."
Izumi sat in silence, not knowing what to say, or do or even act. It pained her seeing her sister in a state like this, and knowing that she couldn't do anything to make it better, like she used to when they were kids. Remembering the days of her childhood, caused tears to spring to her eyes. Maybe it was the good memories, or the bad, but they stayed there, no matter how many times she blinked trying to dispel them.
"On our way here, Natsumi told me something. You see, Natsumi is very close to Tamaki and Kyoya. You know them, Aya, don't you?" Haruhi squeezed her hand, tears bubbling in her eyes as she looked at her distraught classmate. When Aya numbly nodded, Haruhi continued. "Well you see, Natsumi told me that your uncle, your uncle Takao Kikuchi, died in a car crash when his car struck me."
Izumi stiffened and ran a finger under her eyes, as she peeked at her sister from the corner of her red rimmed eyes. Was this the reason the hosts had called them in? And Aya mentioned something about a pot, and that if she didn't plan it correctly, it could have killed Haruhi. Did Aya think that Haruhi was the reason for Uncle Takao's death…?
Wording the question that was lingering on Izumi's mind, Haruhi asked, "I understand where you're coming from, Aya. You must have thought it was my fault, didn't you?"
Still clutching onto Haruhi's hand from across the coffee table, Aya was silent for a moment as she sobbed. All the pain, all the pent-up feelings and all her unshed tears were shed in that very moment, as Haruhi gently held her hand, quietly telling her that it was okay, that it was okay to cry. That it was okay to cry after holding it in for so long.
"Haruhi…" Aya couldn't form sentences, as she was crying to hard. But that didn't stop her from trying. "I… I never wanted to h-hurt you… When I heard that Uncle Takao h-had died, I-I didn't know what t-to do…" Loosening her hand from Haruhi's grasp, she let her hand fall to her lap. "I just fell into a pit of despair… Uncle Takao was really close… to me and my entire family… I-I just…"
Aya took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her jittery nerves. Before she could speak, Haruhi added, "It's okay. I hold nothing against you, Aya."
Blinking quickly, Aya shook her head. "I… lashed out at you… and for that, I'm deeply sorry… I should have known. I… was blinded and I did something stupid, and I deeply and utterly regret my actions. This is really selfish of me… but, I hope you can forgive me."
"Don't be silly, Aya. Of course, I forgive you."
Those three words caused tears to slide down her cheeks and onto her chest. But… were they hers? She reached up and poked her cheek, finding no tears or no wetness. Soon enough, Aya realised that her older sister had buried her face into her neck and that her arms were slung around her body, giving her a firm hug. The older sister was shaking, and Aya knew that she was crying.
"You idiot… Aya, you idiot! Why didn't you tell me these things? I'm your sister and you're… you're supposed to tell me when you're sad!"
Aya only smiled, and wrapped her arms around her sister's shaking form. She gently rubbed the back of Izumi's head, with her sister only nuzzling into her neck further. "Aya… I was so worried. You need to tell me things like this, you idiot…"
Izumi removed her arms, with Aya doing the same. Natsumi held out a small tissue to each sister, surprising the two. The athletic girl only chuckled and waited for the siblings to take their tissue and wipe their snot filled, tear streaked faces. Despite the name calling, and despite everything, the two sisters became closer and they had Haruhi and Natsumi to thank for that.
"Now you guys," Haruhi extended a hand in front of her and to the side, grabbing onto Natsumi's and Aya's hands. Aya then grabbed her sister's other hand, as her right hand was taken by Natsumi's. "I hope... that we can all become close friends to one another."
"Thank you, Haruhi."
"What do you hear?"
"Nothing, Tono." Hikaru replied, his ear pressed up against the door of the Third Music Room. He and the rest of the hosts were too afraid to open the door, even just a crack, to hear the conversation among the four girls, so they decided the pressing their ears against the doors was the safest plan to carry out.
As if by cue, the door hand jiggled slightly and opened very quickly. With the twins leaning against the door, they fell forward onto their faces receiving giggles from the girls. Haruhi towered above them with her hands on hips, as she stared down at them, eyes unreadable as her face was partly shadowed. She lowered her hands to the fallen twins and yanked them upwards, causing them to yelp as they were firmly thrown onto their feet. The twins towered above the shadowed faced girl, but were absolutely terrified of what types of torture she had planned out for them. They quickly glanced behind Haruhi, noticing the red rimmed eyes and puffy cheeks of the Kimura sisters. The two pairs of siblings locked gazes for a second, with Aya sticking her tongue out at Hikaru, and with Izumi shyly staring at Kaoru from underneath her bangs, and vice versa. Haruhi noticed this, and smirked to herself. She had a good feeling that she would be seeing a lot more of the Kimura sisters in the future.
Natsumi sidestepped around Izumi, linked arms with her and the small group of girls and walked on past the hosts who were gaping at the girls with wide mouths. Haruhi glanced over shoulder, sticking her tongue out at the gaping expressions of her friends and continued along down the halls. Once they reached the corner, the group of girls disappeared from sight with their tinkly laughter echoing in the empty corridors of Ouran Academy.
"So, I'm assuming that they made up?" Hikaru asked, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion as he stared at his twin, and then at the faces of his friends.
"I'm also assuming that Haruhi told them she was a girl, too." Kaoru added, facing the Hosts with a confused expression.
"I'm scared now. She didn't do anything when she came out… What's going to happen to us?" Honey sniffled, burying his face into his pink rabbit's furry body, drowning out his words.
"I don't know. I just don't know."
This chapter has been edited, and reposted.