She ran through the rain

Chapter 9: Natasha Tells her Story

Hikari was silent for the rest of the day. Every now and then, she'd look over to Kyouya with his answer repeating in her mind: Yes…I did. Questions rose in Hikari's mind that she wanted to ask, but she felt that asking Kyouya in front of the host club was not a wise decision.

I'll ask Natasha tomorrow, Hikari thought to herself. Kyouya's limo approached Hikari's house, which drew her out of her world of questions. She said goodbye and left the limo, but saw an unexpected audience. She saw Kira and Yuuji standing in front of the gates looking their best. Crap, she thought. The two people approached the limo and bowed.

"Thank you for taking care of our daughter, Ootori-san," they said together. Kyouya raised his hand and the limo drove away. Once it was out of sight, they turned to Hikari with a disgust look on their face.

"Did you do something to displease Ootori-san?" Yuuji asked. Hikari shook her head. "Good. This is a good alliance."

"Dear, maybe we should have a diner," Kira suggested. "And invite them." Yuuji nodded in agreement and the two walked back into their house. Hikari looked at the road that the limo drove away on. She took out her phone and called Natasha.

At the coffee shop

Natasha was sitting at the coffee shop table with a sad look on her face. Hikari knew that she wasn't happy that she found out, but she had to know the truth. She walked in and sat down. Natasha gave a weak smile.

"So you found out, huh?" she asked. Hikari nodded and drew the picture from her pocket book. Natasha took it and laughed.

"So he kept it?" she asked.

"Natasha, was the story that you were gonna tell me about you and Kyouya-san?" Hikari asked.

"That's right," Natasha answered. "But since you're seeing a lot of Ootori-san, I thought that I'd stay quiet until the time was right. I guess that's now." She stood up and left some money on the table. "Let's walk."

Natasha's story:

I was just eight years old when I first met him. I remember it so well. I had just got accepted by a singing agency and I was as happy as ever. My parents, as you know, were strict with how I did things, how I looked, how I sounded, etc. So they always kept me away from other people. Therefore, I didn't have any friends.

At one point, the agency needed to talk to my parents alone. So I decided to run outside and to head towards the nearest playground. Coincidentally, it was the Ouran elementary playground, so I snuck on and played around on it. Once I heard the bell, I ran away and hid. I saw all of the kids playing together and I began to envy them a lot.

I then saw a boy with black hair and glasses sitting on a picnic table reading and writing in a notebook. Why is he sitting alone? I asked myself. I gathered my courage and came out of my hiding spot and walked over to him. Since I was really short, I looked like I was about four or five, but I didn't know that. And since this boy was about my height, I thought that he was my age.

"Why are you alone?" I asked. He looked up at me and adjusted his glasses.

"You're not in this school." He said. I nodded. "Then why are you here?"

"I needed to get away." He didn't look at me. "Why aren't you playing?" I asked him.

"Playing is a waste of time."

"Really? Why?" He began to look annoyed.

"Do you have something better to do than bother me?" I was hurt by his words, but I smiled instead.

"I tend to do that."

"How are you proud about that?"

"It's easy really. That means people remember me easily." And for the first time, he looked at me with his black eyes. He's pretty, I thought to myself. I didn't hide it either. I told him that he was pretty and he blushed.

"I'm Orihara Natasha," I said sitting next to him. He looked the other way. "Do you have a name?"

"Ootori Kyouya."

"Nice to meet you," I said. I looked in his notebook and saw all of these big words (they're actually just words I learned later in my life, but that's not the point).

"Wow, you must be really smart. Are you in middle school?" I asked.

"Idiot, if I was in middle school, I wouldn't be here."

"So are you graduating into middle school soon?"

"I'm only four-years-old." I was so shocked.

"You're four years old?"

"Yeah, aren't you too?" I shook my head.

"I'm eight." He returned my shocking look.

"EIGHT?! I thought that you were at least my age considering your appearance and your education." I laughed.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover." Suddenly, his class was called in and he had to leave.

Everyday, during his recess, I would go visit him and we'd talk and play. He'd never played hop scotch before. He fell so many times. He said that his father wanted him to be better than the best, so he had to study more in order to get good grades. Eventually, though, I couldn't see him because of my singing. So one day, I saw him outside my house.

"So you're a singer?" he asked. I nodded. "You've got a concert coming up, don't you?" I nodded again. "I can't wait to see it."

"WHAT?" I screamed.

"I'm from the Ootori family, and they're seeing it. I'll be there watching." I felt my heart fly with joy. Not the kind of lovey-dovey joy, but more of a friend type of joy.

"I'll do my best," I said. And Hikari, I did. I did so well for my first performance. It was a song about being free and falling in love. When I finished my song, he stood up and threw me a lavender rose. I've never seen something so beautiful. I felt like he would be the person who would be with me forever.

After that concert, we saw each other as much as we could, which was surprisingly a lot. He taught me things he learned in school, since I was homeschooled and learned so little. When I was ten, I had an interview with your mom. When I told him about it, he said that she was the best reporter there is in Japan.

"Are you a close friend of Kyouya-san?" she asked me. He told me to keep it a secret, so I tried to deny it, but she laughed.

"It's okay, your secret is safe with me." Which it was. She never told anyone, not even your dad. I told him later though, so don't worry. Since I met you mother, Kyouya and I saw each other almost every day. He was always cool and composed, but he had a soft side (Hikari gives her a shocking look). He did.

Eventually, I don't remember how or when, we became attracted to each other. He would hug me occasionally and would give me flowers…and then he even kissed me. (Hikari screams at this point).

It was on my sixteenth birthday. After the party at your house, he took me to his house and then into his garden. He was only twelve at that time, but people mistook him for fourteen or fifteen because of his appearance and his knowledge. He was taller than me, so I looked a little younger, but he cupped his hands around my face and kissed me. My first kiss went to him.

"I love you, Orihara Natasha." He said to me. For the first time in eight years (yes, that's how long we've known each other) he said that. I was so happy. "I want to be with you forever. You're an amazing person." I laughed.

"I like seeing this side of you," I said. "But I like you all together. You're a very admirable person, Ootori Kyouya." I did love him too. I told him so.

When your parents died, he was able to help out with the funeral and was going to also help me gain custody over you. He was never there in person, but when you weren't there, he was, so mostly at night. But one day, when I went to our meeting spot in his garden, he came out, but with a different look on his face.

"I can't be with you anymore," he said. My heart stopped as he continued.

"I'm going to be too busy to be spending my time with a commoner like you." I began to shake. "I'll forgive you for trespassing onto my garden this time, but do it again, and I'll get the Ootori police force." Before he walked away, I slapped him and told him never to dig into my personal life again (since that's how he got to my house all those years ago).

I lost custody over you and here we are today.

End of Story

Hikari felt suddenly sorry for Natasha and for Kyouya.

"So that's why when his name comes up, you become quiet," Hikari said. Natasha nodded, but laughed.

"Ootori-san has changed though. I was surprised to hear that he's in the Host Club."

"Why do you call him 'Ootori-san'?"

"Because we're not together anymore, so it's only proper for me to call him by his last name." Hikari hugged Natasha.

"Thank you for the story," she said.

"No problem."

"Did Kyouya-sempai really pay for mom and dad's funeral?" Natasha nodded.

"Well, he didn't pay. The government did since what your parents did was so honorable." Hikari smiled proudly. "He made his family sponsored it, so that people would donate money so that I could support you."

"But the Niwazaki family bid higher?" Hikari asked. Natasha shook her head.

"No, the Ootori group found out that Ootori-san was using their name without permission. And by the time I found out, the Niwazaki family took over."

"I'm so surprised, though," Hikari said, "He knew my parents, my history, even me before I met him." Natasha nodded. "So he knew everything about me before I even entered the Host Club." She nodded again. "But then why did he torture me with my past that one day?" Natasha shrugged.

"Now I feel bad for slapping him." Natasha burst out laughing again.

"Don't be," she said, "It reminds him about me. You probably slapped that memory wall down and released so many memories that he wanted to block out."

"What if you got back together?" Hikari asked. Natasha shook her head.

"That's impossible."

"Why?"

"Because he has expectations from his family. That's why he broke up with me. And he won't get back with me."

"Will you fall in love again?"

"I don't know. So much has happened that all of my love has gone towards you." Hikari got up and the two went for ice cream.

Hikari's room. Night time

"Natasha and Kyouya-sempai were dating," Hikari told Haruhi.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Wow." Haruhi fell silent. "So he knows more about you than we thought."

"No kidding," Hikari said falling on her bed.

"Does Hikaru know as much as Kyouya-sempai?" Haruhi asked.

"I didn't tell him how my parents died," Hikari answered. Haruhi sighed.

"You might want to tell him soon," she said.

"I'll tell him when the time is right. I don't want him to worry." Someone began to knock on Hikari's door. "I'll call you later Haruhi." She hung up and straightened herself.

"Come in." Yuuji entered her room this time. Great, she thought with sarcasm, happy news from the business people.

"We're having dinner with the Ootori group," he said. Hikari straightened up. "He's bringing his three sons. One of them is in two years above you. I expect that you'll be polite to him." Hikari nodded and he left.

"Maybe this is a good thing," she thought, "I can ask Kyouya-sempai some questions." Hikari didn't waste any time. She picked out a dress that Natasha had given her for her for her sixteenth birthday and put her hair up. The dress was low-cut in the back, but high in the front. The top was like a halter top with a velvet chocker. There was a slit down her leg, which was appropriate, and very Natasha. The velvet red wasn't Hikari's color, but she looked great in it. In fact, she would vaguely look like Natasha.

Perfect, she thought.

Once the Ootori group came, she came down the stairs properly, but her goal was to be like Natasha around Kyouya. I want to try to get him alone so I can talk to him, she thought of as her goal.

Kyouya did see her, and his eyes widen as if he was seeing Natasha again. He shook his head and adjusted his glasses. Hikari placed a proud smile on her face. Alright, so far everything is going according to my plan.

After a long diner that Hikari left a multiple of times (because it was so boring), Kyouya asked to speak with her alone. Yuuji and Kira were surprised, but agreed. Once they were alone, Kyouya smacked his fist on the table.

"What the hell is your problem?" he said.

"What am I doing wrong, Kyouya-sempai?" Kyouya opened his mouth to answer, but closed it.

"I remind you of Orihara Natasha, right?" she asked. Hikari saw pain in his eyes.

"So…she told you, huh?" He took off his glasses and rubbed his face. "How much?"

"Everything." He stared at her, and then smiled.

"That sounds like her," he said. Hikari held onto her necklace.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For what you did for my family…for trying to keep me and Natasha together." Kyouya was silent. "You knew everything before I ever met you."

"I did." He paused. "You don't have to thank me."

"That's why you liked Haruhi," Hikari said out loud, "Because she said the same thing Natasha did." Kyouya chuckled.

"You're defiantly like Natasha."

"She taught me everything I know for the past six years." Kyouya walked towards the window.

"If I may be so bold," Hikari began, "I'd say that you still love her." Kyouya didn't move. "I don't know much about the Ootori group, but I do know that you'll be forced to marry some girl from another large institute soon."

"Have you been doing some research on me?"

"You know everything about me and my past. You know how my parents died to save me." Kyouya continued to be still, like a statue. "So I thought that I should learn more about you."

"You know a lot," he said.

"I've got good sources." Kyouya took out his phone and looked at it.

"I think that you should see her again," Hikari said, "You might think that what you're doing is right, but it's not. You both deserve better and it's making you two miserable. Be selfish for once."

"I thought that I'm always selfish," he said.

"In the Host Club, yes, you are. But for yourself, you're not." He hesitated before he began to press some buttons on his phone and brought it to his ear.

"Send a car to pick me up. I've got something important to do," he said into the phone. Hikari felt a spark of joy in her body.

"You're leaving, Kyouya-sempai?" He turned around and placed his hand on his hips.

"I've got some important matters to take care of," he said. Hikari smiled.

"Alright," she said, "I'm sure it's something that you haven't taken care of for six years." Kyouya smiled and left the room.

At Natasha's House

Natasha looked at the picture Hikari had given her and smiled.

"Oh Kyouya," she said, hugging the picture. She suddenly heard knocking on her door and looked through the peep-hole. She saw a tall gentleman in a business suit with his tie loosened and a button undone.

"Oh dear, the neighbor next door locked himself out again," she said unlocking the door. When she opened it, she noticed that it wasn't her neighbor, but someone else. He had one hand in his pocket and a lavender rose in another.

"…Kyouya…" she said so quietly that he didn't hear. She shook her head.

"Ootori-san, what brings you here?" Kyouya didn't move. Natasha stepped outside.

"Ootori-san?" He still didn't move.

"Kyouya…" She finally said. As if it was the word he was waiting from, he looked up into her honey brown eyes and threw the rose down. He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his lips over hers. He kissed her with such passion that Natasha couldn't even breathe. Once he pulled away, he held her tightly.

"I'm sorry." Natasha giggled and hugged him back.

Hikari's room

I wonder if Kyouya went to Natasha's house, she thought. She spun around her room with her arms extended. She wanted to call Natasha, but she didn't want to ruin their moment together.

"Natasha," she said like a prayer, "You deserve this happiness. I hope that this gift will make you happy always." Hikari crawled into her bed and closed her eyes.

When the sun woke Hikari up, she immediately called Natasha.

"Did you get a visitor last night?" Hikari asked.

"A visitor? No I didn't. Should I have been expecting one?" Hikari held her tongue.

"No, you're right. I guess I misunderstood what the person was talking about." They hung up and Hikari stared at the morning sky. Did Kyouya-sempai not visit?

Meanwhile…

"That was Hikari, wasn't it," Kyouya asked Natasha. She nodded.

"So you didn't tell her? I thought you tell her everything?" Kyouya said with an evil smile. Natasha blushed.

"I do, but if what you tell me is true, about what might happen to her, then I want to save it, so something good that could make her smile." Kyouya reached for her hand.

"Will the Niwazaki family really do that? Especially to her?" she asked. Kyouya nodded.

"Business is a dangerous sport, and they don't play it well." Natasha placed her free hand on her head.

"Poor Hikari," she said, "She loses her parents, then she lives with horrible people, and now this." Kyouya kissed her hand.

"When will you tell her about us?"

"Soon," Natasha answered, "I'll tell her when things begin to fall through."

"That's soon," Kyouya pointed out. "My sources say that Christmas is when things will fall, so I'd say it'll start in October."

"Then I'll tell her when school starts," Natasha said, "About us." Kyouya smiled and leaned in.

"I've missed you," he said.

"Me too."