Chapter 17: Perfect Plans and Shredded Stories
NOTE: Hi readers! Thanks for making it this far in my Fan Fiction and thanks for the reviews. I wanted to say that some people suggested to make the chapters a little longer. Well, I decided that with this chapter, I'd do just that. So I hope this keeps your interest. Please, if you're reviewing, let me know if it's too long or if it's just as good. Thank you so much and now drum roll Ouran High School Host Club: A Lyrical Beauty
"Kyouya-senpai and Mina-chan are to be married!?" Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, Yumi, and Honey said in unison. Hana-chan nodded.
"That's right," she confirmed, "Mina-chan's parents want her to marry wealthy and Kyouya's father wants him to marry someone with a rich background. Mina-chan fits those qualities and the arrangements were made. Sorry for telling you now, but I didn't want to tell you when the guests were around." The Host members looked out from the back room and stared at the two people that they were gossiping about. Mina was with Mori-senpai while Kyouya continued to type on his laptop.
"My children, listen well," Tamaki began, "We must figure out a way to break the engagement AND for Mina-chan to fall into Mori-senpai's arms." The twins, Yumi, and Honey saluted.
"Senpai," Haruhi interrupted, "Kyouya-senpai probably knows that his father wants him to marry Mina-chan. Plus we all know that he'll handle this situation differently than you and won't follow your plan." Tamaki shook his head.
"I am his brother, so I know what is best for him. Come. I must tell you my idea." As the host's huddled together, Hikari and Haruhi left the back room and began to pack up.
"Haruhi!" Hikari heard Tamaki say. He's obviously done telling everyone his secret plan, she thought to herself. "Can you come over tonight?"
"I can't, Senpai. I've got to cook dinner tonight," she answered. Tamaki gave her a puppy face look, which won Haruhi over. "Fine, I'll come. But only for a minute." Tamaki threw his arms in the air with joy.
"Is anyone taking you home?" Hikaru asked, making Hikari jump in shock by the sudden sound in his voice.
"Natasha's taking me home, actually. Sorry." She headed towards the door and grabbed the handle, but Hikaru's hand wrapped around her wrist.
"Can I please take you home?" he asked, "I haven't really been with you in a while." Hikari shook her head.
"Maybe some other time, Hikaru. But not tonight" He didn't let go. "I promise I will." Still not convinced, Hikaru let her go.
Hikari was silent for the rest of the evening. She didn't even write her stories that she had worked on earlier that day. Instead, Hikari opened her balcony door and felt the autumn breeze wipe her cheeks.
"I wonder what that was all about," she thought aloud, "It's true that Hikaru and I haven't been together since Halloween, but I've been so busy. And this whole engagement love square has really gotten me down." Hikari placed her hands over her face and shook her head.
"No no no! I've got to stop thinking about this. Tamaki-senpai and Kyouya-senpai will worry about it." Suddenly, she remembered something Kyouya had mentioned earlier, "Things aren't actually as bad as I thought they were now that I know she likes another."
"He knew," Hikari mumbled, "He knew it was Mina-chan and figured out that she liked another. So Haruhi was right. Then I have nothing to worry about" A sudden knocking interrupted Hikari's thoughts. When she looked through the peep-hole, she saw a familiar face. Is that…? She opened the door. The lady standing outside smiled and bowed.
"Hikari-sama," she said with joy, "I'm so glad to have found you." She pulled out a book and presented it to Hikari. "You left this at the Mr. and Mrs. house."
"My father's play," Hikari said taking the book, "You didn't have to come all the way here for that." The maid shook her head.
"It's a pleasure."
"Would you like to come in?" Hikari asked, "I've got more of my-" the maid shook her head and placed a finger over Hikari's mouth.
"I'm also here to tell you about…" She looked into Hikari's brown eyes, trying to find the right words. Hikari looked back seeing only fear and worry. The maid opened her mouth again.
"I can't say for sure…but…" She continued to search her mind for the right words. "I know that you know that the Mr. and Mrs. are rude people…but they are also bad." Hikari moved her finger away.
"I know that they're bad," She said, "What are you trying to say?" The maid played with her hands and looked down the hallway.
"I…I'm not sure…but…all I know is that they're planning something bad…" Her mouth opened to say more, but the voice didn't come out. Instead, tears grew in her eyes and she began to sob. Hikari grabbed her hands and let her inside her suite.
"Oh no," the maid said, "I must return home. I don't want to be a burden."
"You're not a burden," Hikari said, "Just tell me what they're doing? Are they threatening you?" The maid shook her head.
"Just promise me…that you'll never go near that house. Stay as far away from it as you can. Promise me." Hikari looked into the maid's glassy eyes and with a nod, the maid took her leave.
As Hikari heard the door close, she felt something burning in her chest. She wrapped her fingers around the necklace, taking deep breaths. Somewhere in her heart, she felt that something dreadful was going to happen. Mom…Dad…What do I do? Hikari shook her head and clenched her fists together.
"It's alright," she said aloud, "I've got more important matters to worry about, like Mina and Kyouya-senpai's marriage." With this thought in mind, she crawled into bed.
However, the next day
Hikari stormed through the Ouran garden that Tamaki had led the Host Club through many times in the past. She wore a pouted look on her face, walking away from a fellow Ouran student.
"Aw come on, Hikari. We haven't had some alone time in a long time and I thought that-"
"You had no right under any circumstances to creep into my room when the maid left and crawl into bed with me!" Hikari hissed as she felt her cheeks turn pink.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I just haven't been with you in a while."
"I see you every day, Hikaru."
"I know you do." He walked in front of her, preventing her from walking any farther. Hikari began to see his eyes changing; the hazelish gold becoming more intense and longing. "But I want to see you outside of school." He gently ran his fingers through her hair, bringing the strands that wrapped around his fingers to his lips. "I want to see you as you are. Hoshiyama Hikari: A crazy writer who lets her boyfriend invade her privacy."
"I don't let you-" Hikaru quickly pressed his lips onto hers, silencing her from finishing her sentence.
"You say that you don't like it, but deep down in your heart…" he placed his finger below her necklace. "…you enjoy it when I'm around." And with a smirk he left her in the rosy garden.
Hikari couldn't get the morning's adventure out of her head throughout the day. Every time she touched her hair, she remembered his lips. When she touched her necklace, she remembered his touch. When she saw gold anywhere, she remembered the longing in his eyes and his words whispering, "I want to see you as you are. Hoshiyama Hikari: A crazy writer who lets her boyfriend invade her privacy." And "…you enjoy it when I'm around." Hikari blushed and smacked her head on the desk.
"Hikari-san?" Hikari moved her head towards the voice calling to her. "You seem a little scattered. Is everything alright?" Hikari was able to see the blonde locks bouncing next to her as Mina gave her a worried look.
"I'm alright Mina-chan," she answered, "Just…a lot of stuff on my mind."
"I can relate." She's probably thinking about the engagement and her feelings towards Mori-senpai, she thought as she watched Mina preparing her books for the afternoon classes. Hikari left before Mina to try and find Haruhi during her lunch time, but when she found her, she thought that Haruhi had seen a ghost.
"Hikari," she whispered, "Can you come with me to the library?" Once Hikari agreed, Haruhi blushed. "Please hurry!" and she ran down the hallway. Hikari got her lunch and found Haruhi looking through the library books as if one of them held the answers to all of her questions.
"Oh my god, Haruhi!" Haruhi was startled by the sudden voice, but was relieved that it was Hikari, "What on earth are you doing."
"Well…can you close the door?" Hikari did and took a seat at one of the tables. "Okay. What I'm about to say is…shocking and not me and…illogical. So don't misjudge me and make jokes about what I'm about to tell you." Hikari listened intently, leaning forward to hear Haruhi's news.
"Tamaki-senpai…" Haruhi started over. "Tamaki-senpai…"
"Just say it, Haruhi," Hikari whispered, "Just come by me and say it as one sentence." Haruhi sat down next to her and took a deep breath.
"Ready?" she asked. Hikari nodded again.
"Tamaki-senpaisaidthathelovedme." Hikari stared at her friend in amazement.
"What?" she asked.
"Tamaki-senpai…said that…he loved me." Hikari thought for a moment.
"Do you mean 'In love with you'? Meaning that at this moment, he loves you?" Haruhi nodded. "He actually confronted you in person saying the words 'I love you'?" She nodded again. "He came up to you, looked deep into your big brown eyes, took you hand and said softly, but clearly, 'Haruhi. I love you'." Haruhi nodded. Hikari felt her heart fly with joy.
"OH MY GOD HARUHI!! THAT'S GREAT NEWS!" She hugged her friend tightly wearing her biggest smile on her face. "Okay, what did he say exactly?" Hikari let Haruhi go in order to retrieve her answer.
"It's a little embarrassing to say," she answered turning really red, "Is it actually possible for you to come over tonight? That way can tell you in details what happened without the fear of anyone listening." Hikari was more than happy to accept.
Hikari's afternoon differed from her morning, which made her happier than she was, but once she entered the third Music room, she only saw Tamaki, the twins, Honey-senpai, Hana-chan, and Yumi huddled together. Tamaki looked up and was happy to see his daughter entering the room.
"Hikari-chan!" Tamaki screamed, "Thank goodness you have arrived. I have my plan prepared."
"Prepared for what?" Hikari asked.
"For canceling Kyouya and Mina-chan's engagement, of course," he answered. Hikari dropped her head.
"Kyouya-senpai probably has figured his own way of solving that problem," Hikari pointed out. Tamaki only chuckled at her comment and snapped his fingers. Hikaru and Kaoru assembled together mirroring one another.
"Tono had asked us particularly…" Hikaru said.
"…to raid Kyouya-senpai's laptop…" Kaoru continued.
"…and take a copy of what he plans on doing," they finished in unison.
"That way," Yumi interrupted, "Kyouya-kun can't be angry with our action in helping." Hikari didn't know what to say. She wanted to cancel the engagement, but she didn't want to interfere in Kyouya's plan if she's not wanted.
"Senpai, that's invading his privacy." Hikari turned around and saw Haruhi standing behind her with her arms folded across her chest. "He'll be really mad if you do it."
"But we've got to save Nana-chan and Kyou-chan from the marriage," Honey said. Hana nodded.
"I know that Mina-chan would want this too," she said. Haruhi and Hikari still didn't like the idea. Finally, Kaoru broke away from Hikaru, grabbed Yumi by the waist and dipped her gently.
"You know, if I wasn't allowed to be with Yumi-chan, I would go crazy," He said, "If Kyouya isn't allowed to be with Natasha, he'd probably go insane as well, especially since he loves her." He propped Yumi back up on her feet. "That's from Kyouya-senpai's point of view. Think about how Mina-chan might feel." Hikari knew that Kaoru was indicating if she couldn't be near Hikaru.
Well, he wouldn't invade my privacy, she thought, but Hikaru's words echoed in her mind. "…you enjoy it when I'm around." Hikari's eyes looked over at Hikaru and then back at Kaoru.
"…Fine," she said, "But If Kyouya-senpai gets mad, he can't blame me."
"Ditto," Haruhi said, "I'll help too, but I'm with Hikari: He can't get mad at us, since we didn't want to do it." Tamaki's face began to glow with joy. He hugged Haruhi tightly.
"Thank you, Haruhi. I knew that you wouldn't leave your husband alone in the battlefield."
"YOU'RE NOT MY HUSBAND!"
"So…" Hikari interrupted, "What's the plan then, Tamaki-senpai?" Tamaki let Haruhi go and pulled out a white board. As he scribbled, Hikari looked over at the twins. They were back acting in unison. Kaoru and Hikaru are so different. Her eyes wondered towards Yumi who was staring at Kaoru in amazement.
Is she still in shock about what Kaoru did? Before she began to think deeper on the subject, Tamaki announced his plan.
"Kyouya wants to have a 'one-on-one' talk with Mina-chan, right? So all we have to do is…" Hikari listened
"Wow, Tama-chan," Honey said, "You really thought this out." Tamaki smirked.
"Of course I did. I don't want my brother to suffer and I don't want one of our guests to be thrown into a loveless marriage."
"Senpai," Haruhi interrupted, "Are you sure that you want to do this? This isn't like any of your normal plans."
"Of course I do," Tamaki answered, "So, my children, start preparing for the meeting."
But…
"I can't believe that Tamaki-senpai is still making open the Host Club," Hikari whispered to Haruhi as she got ready.
"I agree," Haruhi said, "but he said that this way, Kyouya-senpai will believe that we're not a part of it, and he can keep a 'watchful eye' over them." A knock on the door silenced the girls and Yumi entered.
"Five minutes girls," she said. "And is it ok if I stay back here while the club is running?" Hikari and Haruhi looked at one another and shrugged.
"Sure," Hikari said, "But aren't you normally back here when the host club is open?"
"Nope. Usually I'm in the kitchen helping with the food and tea, but Kaoru said that he needed me to be back here today. So…"
"It's all yours." Hikari tied her hair up and left the back room.
The Host Club is now Open
Hiroki's eyes kept on wandering towards Mori-senpai's table. Mina continued to talk to him as he offered her some tea.
"I think they'd make a fine couple," One of Hiroki's guest commented.
"Indeed they are," Hiroki commented, "But do you know which couple might beat them?" the girl shook her head. "You and the man of your dreams." The girl blushed.
"Can you write about that?" she asked shyly.
"Of course I can." Hiroki took out his notepad and wrote the thought down. As he jotted down his idea, he saw Kyouya walking towards Mina and spoke to her with a smile. Once she nodded, they headed towards the back room, which caused an uproar with the ladies.
"Oh no!"
"Kyouya-senpai and Mina-san?"
"How can he stand to be near her?"
Hiroki saw Tamaki sneak away from his guest and placed his ear by the door. "Senpai, why are you eavesdropping on them?" Haruhi asked. Tamaki jumped as Haruhi glared at his actions.
"I'm not spying," he protested, "I'm just keeping a watchful eye over them." Haruhi rolled his eyes and walked towards Hiroki.
"Tamaki-kun…" one of the girls said, "Is Mina-san more to your liking than I?" Tamaki tore himself away from the door and held the girl's hand. Hiroki noticed that the atmosphere around the two changed into something…rosy.
"Of course not, Hime-sama. You're the only woman that I can behold. Come, let me take you away from your doubts into a world of sincerity."
"Tamaki-kun…"
"Looking at that makes me wonder who he really is," Haruhi said, bringing Hiroki away from the rosy scenery, "He really likes to flatter his guests around." Hiroki chuckled.
"If I didn't know any better," he said, "I would say that you're a little jealous." Haruhi turned a little pink and held his head in the air.
"I'm not jealous," he denied, "I'm just…paranoid. That's all." Hiroki smiled while rolling his eyes.
"By the way," Haruhi said changing subject, "I just realized something. How's Kaoru going to get in and give Yumi her gift when Kyouya-senpai has a meeting with Mina-chan in the back room?" Hiroki shrugged.
"I'm not sure," Hiroki replied. He saw Kaoru and Hikaru perform their brotherly love act when Kaoru excused himself to get some more tea for his guests. "Do you think he's going to Yumi-chan?"
"I don't know," Haruhi said as they watched Kaoru entering the kitchen.
"Well, there's only one way to find out." Hiroki grabbed Haruhi's wrist. "Let's follow him."
"Hiroki," Haruhi said with a hint of annoyance in his voice, "You're beginning to act like Senpai."
"But I was going to get some tea anyway," Hiroki said. Haruhi took his wrist back.
"Then how about this: You follow Kaoru and I watch the spying wolf over there," he suggested pointing at Tamaki. Hiroki sighed and nodded.
"Fine. I won't be long." Haruhi nodded and went back to his table. Hiroki, however, went to find Kaoru in the kitchen.
Hirokià Hikari
Hikari took her hair down and wandered around the kitchen. She imagined what the floor-plan of the backroom would be and went to find the back door according to where she thought that the two rooms stood next to each other. Eventually, she stumbled upon a door that she never noticed before. As she turned the handle, she heard voices.
I guess I found it, she thought. She carefully entered the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She stayed towards the back of the backroom and eventually found herself finding Kaoru and Yumi.
"Kaoru, this is beautiful!"
"Thanks. I knew that you'd like it. Once you pointed it out last Sunday, I knew that you'd want it." Hikari saw a beautiful cherry blossom flower clip in Yumi's black hair. She wrapped her arms around Kaoru, giving him a big hug.
"Do you want another surprise?" He asked. Yumi pulled away from him, jumping up and down.
"You got me something else?" Kaoru nodded.
"But you've got to stand still, or I can't give it to you." Yumi stopped jumping and calmed down. Hikari felt her stomach turning and her eyes looked at Kaoru. She felt her heart stopping the way it did when she read the climactic part of a book.
Kaoru isn't going to…wait, I don't think that I should be watching this. She was about to turn around, but someone's body got in the way.
"Kaoru told me about this. I'm surprised that he's actually pulling through."
"Hikaru!" Hikari hissed, "I don't want to see this! It's none of my business!!"
"Yumi would want you to see this," he said, "You're her childhood friend."Hikari looked back at the couple.
"Are you ready?" Kaoru asked. Yumi nodded and closed her eyes. Kaoru approached her, cupped her face, and pressed his lips onto hers. Her eyes flew open as she felt Kaoru's kiss. They were at first shocked, but then they closed and Yumi let her body relax. Hikari felt a smile appear on her face. Good job, Kaoru. You made my friend very happy indeed.
"Kaoru did it," Hikaru said, "But I think that we're better." He twirled Hikari around and kissed her. "Come on. Let's see if Kyouya-senpai is out of that engagement." Hikari grabbed her hand, laced his fingers through hers, and led her towards the hidden door. When they exited the kitchen, they noticed that all of the guests had left and Tamaki had made a crack in the door leading to the back room.
"What's happening, Tono?" Hikaru asked.
"Kyouya and Mina-chan had just finished explaining their financial situation and are now discussing about what excuse to use for canceling the engagement."
"So basically…" Hikari said. Tamaki turned around and smiled.
"Kyouya will not marry Mina-chan and will continue to spend his life with Natasha." Hikari felt Hikaru put his arm around her.
"You're happy now, aren't you." Hikari nodded as Tamaki burst trough the doors.
"Congratulations, brother, on canceling the engagement!!" Kyouya and Mina stared at Tamaki as he ran towards them.
"Tamaki," Kyouya said, a stress vein appearing on his forehead. "What are you doing here?"
"I was watching you two from above!" he answered. Kyouya excused himself kindly from Mina and walked towards Tamaki. Hikari felt fear for Tamaki because Kyouya had his devil face on, scaring the color out of Tamaki.
"THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! AND I'M NOT REALATED TO AN IDIOT LIKE YOU!" Kyouya growled. He adjusted his glasses as he pulled himself together and walked back towards Mina.
"I'm sorry about that," he said.
"It's alright, Kyouya-san. I'm just glad that we had this situation settled now." Kyouya smiled, adjusting his glasses again.
"And don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he added.
"What secret?" Hikaru whispered.
"The one that Mina-chan likes Mori-senpai," Tamaki replied loudly. Mina's eyes filled with tears and she began to sob. Hana-chan ran up to her friend and tried to comfort her.
"YOU KNEW!" she screamed, "You knew all along! Now he'll never like me." Everyone glared at Tamaki, especially Haruhi.
"Senpai," she said, "That was heartless." Tamaki dramatically showed his surprised face and pretended to faint on the floor.
"Mina." Everyone looked to the front door and saw Mori-senpai entering the room. Mina still had tears dripping down her face as he walked up to her, wiping the tears away with his handkerchief. "You left your cookbook in the lunch room." He pulled out her book. Mina's eyes grew wide and she looked up at him. "So don't cry anymore," he said with a smile. Mina returned the smile and embraced her book tightly.
"Tono looks dead," Hikaru pointed out, letting Hikari go and bending over the non-moving body.
"Well wouldn't you drop dead when your wife tells you that you're not her husband?" Kaoru asked. Hikaru placed an evil smirk on his face.
"Maybe Haruhi has a secret lover." Kaoru placed the same look on his face and said,
"You know, I did see Haruhi walking down the street with another man." A sudden sound came from Tamaki's mouth. Unexpectedly, he rose and pointed at the twins.
"Haruhi is my dear dear wife! She'd never do that!" Fire was burning in his eyes again.
"I'm NOT your WIFE, senpai," Haruhi said emphasizing the words "not" and "wife". Tamaki gasped and pulled out his handkerchief.
"BROTHER! Haruhi is using foul language! Please talk to her!" he shouted as he bit onto his handkerchief.
"Actually, I'm going to escort Hikari downstairs to her car," Kyouya said, "So please excuse me." He pushed Hikari towards the door.
"Wait, Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi said, "I'm coming with Hikari. She's spending the night."
"I see. Then come along Haruhi." The three left Tamaki calling Haruhi's name at the door. Once Hikari reached the Ouran gates, she saw Natasha pulling up in their car. As Natasha got out, Hikari whispered,
"Haruhi and I will go into the car and you can tell Natasha the good news." Kyouya didn't say anything, but the two went inside the car. From what Hikari saw, Natasha jumped up and down, hugged, and kissed Kyouya for his wonderful work. The two girls giggled as Natasha was singing a little song that she invented.
"I can't believe that he did it!" she said.
"Congratulations," Haruhi said.
"Thank you, Haruhi-chan. Now where're you girls going this evening?" Hikari smiled
"Haruhi has invited me to sleepover tonight," Hikari said, "She needs to explain something to me."
"So Tamaki confessed to you already?" Natasha asked, "Bravo, Haruhi." Haruhi blushed.
"It's nothing like that. It's just-"
"Oh my," Natasha said slowing down the car, "Hikari, isn't that…?" Hikari looked out her window and she saw the maid that came to her room the other night.
"It is."
"Who?" Haruhi asked.
"She's a maid that works for the Niwazaki clan, but I'd lend her my father's books and she'd protect my secret about writing. I wonder where she's heading." Natasha stopped the car and got out to meet the maid. She looked happy to see Natasha. As she spoke, Natasha's face became frightened. She ran back to the car and grabbed her phone.
"What's wrong, Natasha?" Hikari asked, but she didn't hear. She typed numbers in her phone and began to wait for the person to pick up.
"We've got trouble…I've just been informed that they might be at the hotel. I need you to drive behind me so that if they see us, they won't do anything to hurt Hikari…Okay…fifteen minutes…Alright. I'll see you then." As she put her phone away, she spoke.
"Haruhi, please call your father and Tamaki. Tell him that you'll be coming home a little bit late and tell Tamaki that Kyouya is picking him and the rest of the club up. Hikari, I need you to call Hikaru and let him know the same. They all might have left the club already."
"Natasha!" Hikari screamed, but she was interrupted.
"Don't ask now, just do what I say. Ima-san, please get in the front with me." Ima nodded and entered the car. As she buckled herself in, she took out a tissue and blew her nose.
"Ima…san," Hikari said quietly. Ima turned her head to look in the back seats.
"Hikari-sama…I'm so sorry." She began to sob again. "I tried to stop them…but-"
"Ima-san, please don't worry. Everything will be fine," Natasha said.
"I just hope so. If they…oh I can't even imagine what they would do." Natasha drove furiously back to the hotel. Hikari took out her phone and began to call Hikaru. She noticed Haruhi calling her dad and then Tamaki.
Hikaru's not picking up. She hung up and tried Kaoru. No one picked up. She pressed the number buttons that would reach Yumi. She heard three rings and then Yumi's voice.
"Hey Hikari, what's up? I just left Ouran and-"
"Where're the twins?"
"They just left too."
"Can you please run and catch up with them?"
"Hikari, what's going-"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Hikari screamed. Everyone in the car looked back at her as she covered her mouth. "Sorry. Just please run and catch up with them…thanks, I'll wait." Hikari waited on the phone as the car stopped at a red light. She looked out the window and saw someone putting out Christmas decorations.
That's right, she thought, Christmas is coming up. I wonder where I'll spend it this year. She heard little mumbles coming out of her phone. Yumi made it I guess.
"Which…one…?" Yumi asked between breaths.
"Hikaru." She heard the phone being passed and then Hikaru's voice.
"Hey Hikari, is everything alright?"
"I'm not sure," she said, "But Kyouya-senpai is picking you the Host members up and then taking you to the hotel I'm staying at." Hikari heard Kaoru's voice on the other end and Hikaru responding.
"I see him now," he said, "Is he going to take me to you?"
"Yes, he will, just…" Hikari wanted to say hurry, but she didn't want to say it.
"I'll be there as fast as I can." And then he hung up. Hikari took down her phone and bit her lips together.
"Natasha," Haruhi said, "Why are we taking a different route to get to the hotel?"
"We need to give Kyouya time to catch up with us. And if I'm right…" Natasha did a sharp right turn, pushing Hikari against the window and Haruhi on her. Once they were driving in a straight line again, Haruhi looked behind her.
"They're behind us," she said aloud. Hikari looked back and saw the Ootori black limo following her car.
"Alright," Natasha said, "Let's head to the hotel." Hikari sat patiently in her seat, fiddling with her phone.
"It's alright, Hikari," Haruhi said, "I'm sure that everything will be alright."
"I hope so, Haruhi." And in no time, Natasha pulled up in front of the hotel.
"Nobody leaves this car until the boys get us," she said, "That way, if they're still in there, they can't get us."
"Who?" Hikari asked. Natasha turned off the car and looked at her.
"The Niwazaki's." Hikari felt fear run through her blood. Her heart began to beat fast and her body wanted to run. As soon as Hikaru opened the door, Hikari pushed him out of her way and ran inside.
"Hikari!" he called out chasing her, but that didn't stop her. She ran through the lobby trying to find an elevator that was heading up. Once she saw an elevator about to close, she slipped inside. There were other people in the elevator that were surprised by her actions, but she just ignored them. She was on the top floor, so she had a while to go.
What could they have done? She thought, pacing the elevator floor, Could they be waiting take me back? Did they try to find something to blackmail me with? A dreaded thought ran through her mind.
"…no…" The elevator doors opened and Hikari ran towards her door. She took out her room card and tried to open the door. Her hands were trembling, which made the process seem like hours rather than seconds. Once she got it to work, she threw the door open and froze. Her body became numb and she fell to the floor, knees together pushing her legs outwards. Hikari only heard the sound of her heart banging in her ears. She faintly heard footsteps growing louder as The Host club approached her. Haruhi and Yumi were the first to catch up with her. Once they saw what she blankly stared at, they gasped.
The rest of the club caught up to them, but they didn't approach Hikari. They were scared that if they touched her, she'd break into a thousand pieces. Hikaru slowly walked his way towards her, but stopped when Hikari moved. She raised one hand and wrapped it around her butterfly necklace. The other hand wrapped around the first. Seconds later, she screamed. It was a scream that was begging to leave her head. Hikari heard her blood flowing like poison through her body, making it painful to move. Steaming hot tears ran down her face like rain during a thunder storm. The club ran to her aid, but stared at the sight that caused her to scream.
There were scraps of papers all over her room, empty notebook covers lying on the floor, chairs, and tables with a ridged middle, which was where pages once were. The windows were open, inviting the cool wind to sweep away the scraps of paper outside into the world. Notebook paper wasn't the only possession ruined. Pictures of her late family were also torn to shreds, scratched, and drawn upon. No one moved as Hikari continued to scream and sob.
"Those bastards!" Hikaru mumbled. Kyouya pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket and passed it to Hikari. Hikari took it and read what it said, noticing that it was something that she herself wrote: She was saddened by the sight. Falling to her knees and bawling like a mother who lost her child. She had lost everything…and nothing can bring them back.
"Mom…Dad…" Everyone was surprised to hear words come out of Hikari's throat. Suddenly, Hikari saw her parents in her mind, stood up, and ran through the room screaming, "Mom! Dad! Where are you!? Please answer!" She fell to her knees again and sobbed again. She wrapped her arms around herself and hunched over. "Don't leave me! Don't leave Natasha! Don't leave us alone!"
"You're not alone." Strong arms wrapped around Hikari, pulling her close to its owner. Hikari touched the arm, making sure that it was real…it was. A familiar smell filled her nose…rose and spices. Warms lips that pressed against the side of her head. Hikaru.
"Hikari," said a gentle voice. Hikari looked up and saw Natasha. Tears were pouring down her face as well. "I'm so sorry." Hikari broke away from Hikaru and hugged Natasha tightly.
"They're gone. They're really gone. Nothing can bring them back." Natasha held her tightly, brushing her hair with fingers.
"They're never gone," she said, trying to act like she's not crying. "They're forever around you."
"Not anymore. My stories about them…My stories about life with them…My stories that I wrote when they were still alive!" Natasha didn't know what to say.
"Natasha," Haruhi said, "Can we place Hikari on her bed and start to pack her things?" Hikari felt Natasha nod.
"I believe that that's best."
"I'll carry her," Hikaru said. Natasha gave another nod and handed Hikari off to him as if she were a little child. Hikari's hands went back around her necklace as the tears continued to fall. Once Hikaru placed her on the bed, he placed his lips over her eyes.
"Don't leave," Hikari said in a whisper. Hikaru smiled.
"You don't have to ask." He placed himself against the headboard of the bed, inviting Hikari to lie across his body, which she did. She placed her head on his chest and heard his heart beating in her ears. As Hikaru protected her with his arms wrapped around her, Hikari closed her eyes and fell asleep.