Chapter Four:
Operation: Welcome the Newcomer!
…
"Alright team! Any ideas on what we should do?" Tamaki asked the group as Haruhi and Kyoya joined them outside.
"We can go for a leisurely stroll across town." Kaoru suggested.
"Oh, Tama-chan! Why don't we go get some sweets?" Honey asked with Mori nodding his head in agreement.
"Both fantastic ideas, but we need to find a way for us to all bond, which may take hours, if not days, depending on how much time we spend together. I'm willing to take our activities well into the night for the sake of friendship."
"Why don't we just head for the closest mall?" Hikaru asked, giving Tamaki an exasperated look from his dramatic words.
"Brilliant, Hikaru! With the mall we can explore multiple shops and spend a ton of time there! Haruhi, where's the nearest mall?" He asked Haruhi, who had just come outside with Kyoya.
"The mall? Are you sure? Last time we went to a mall you left Kyoya-senpai on a bench where-"
"Ah, how about we leave that day in the back of our minds." Tamaki interrupted her, giving Kyoya a nervous smile before clearing his throat. "Anyways, everyone is currently awake and ready for action, so this would be the perfect opportunity! And a commoner mall would be 100 times more fun than a regular old shopping mall!"
"Of course it would be." Haruhi murmured, letting out a sigh. "But yeah, there's a commoner mall nearby. We can just walk. No need for fancy limos or anything."
"How wonderful! This is going to be quite the exciting day!" Tamaki clapped his hands in excitement, his eyes shining.
"Alrighty then, let's get this show on the road." They turned to see Riku coming out of the apartment, closing the door behind him as he narrowed his eyes at the sun before putting on his shades. He wore a simple, white t-shirt with a black leather jacket and ripped jeans. Honey gave his outfit a look of wonder as Haruhi said:
"The mall is this way." She then pointed in a specific direction, giving Riku a smile as they began to head off.
"Hey Riku-chan, why do you wear shades all the time? Isn't it hard to see indoors?" Honey asked Riku, looking up at him with curious eyes.
"Oh, um, the light hurts my eyes a bit too much." Riku replied, giving him a weak smile.
"Why? Did something happen?"
"Well, when I was younger I got into a bit of an accident. My head is a little messed up now and bright lights give me headaches because of it."
"Ooohhh, I see." Honey must have noticed his unease at the question, because he didn't ask any more questions relating to it and instead began to merrily skip down the street.
"So! Takashi, right?" Riku asked Mori, who nodded his head. "I never really had the chance to actually talk to you. You're a Morinozuka, right?" Another head nod. "Champion in kendo and skilled in karate. I watched a few of your competitions back then."
Mori gave him a look and Riku responded.
"Just out of curiosity. I was interested in fighting techniques back then and you and Honey were famous for quite some time. It was captivating, watching both of your competitions. You two certainly taught me a few things."
Mori gave him another look.
"Oh, no, I don't compete. I just wanted to learn a bit about it at the time." The both of them continued their conversation with Mori just giving Riku looks as he flawlessly seemed to understand every expression he made.
"It's like he's reading his mind." Hikaru whispered to Kaoru, who quickly nodded his head in agreement.
"Don't worry, he's always been like that." Haruhi said with a smile, seeming amused at their bewilderment.
"Haruhi, how well do you know Riku?" Tamaki asked. Haruhi was surprised to hear genuine curiosity coming from his voice instead of panic or jealousy.
"Pretty well, I'd say. He was in his last year of middle school when I started my first. He was always pretty quiet and lonely and I always saw him sleeping in class. The first time I ever talked to him was after our first test scores were posted and I congratulated him for getting 1st."
"He didn't have any friends?"
"No…I heard that he was pretty bad his first two years. Was always skipping class and getting into fights with everyone both inside and outside the school."
"What changed?"
Haruhi hesitated, glancing back at Riku, who was now conversing with both Mori and Honey, before she replied.
"His grandmother had a heart attack and almost passed away during the summer. I heard he completely changed after coming back to school, but no one wanted to go near him because of his bad reputation. He told me I was the first person to talk to him since he came back." She thought for a moment before continuing. "He's a good person, and I'm glad he decided to join the Host Club. I can't imagine how lonely he was when he moved away."
Tamaki looked back at Riku with an unreadable expression, opening his mouth to say something, but he stopped when Riku started laughing at something the twins had said to him. The group continued to walk for the next 7 minutes, the twins and Riku talking about various topics as Mori carried Honey on his shoulders. Haruhi couldn't help but notice that Kyoya seemed to be more invested in his phone than usual.
She never had a problem with it, and knew that he liked to do his work and various other tasks on it, but it always made her nervous to see him so invested in it sometimes. Kyoya was intelligent, and with his family's status he was able to easily obtain information. Haruhi wouldn't be surprised if Riku was the focus of his attention at the moment. Haruhi herself didn't mind that much if Kyoya snooped around her personal life, but Riku was different. He didn't like sneaky people and preferred communication face-to-face. She was just hoping Kyoya wouldn't bring up anything too personal.
"Wow, this is a commoner mall?" Tamaki exclaimed loudly with sparkles in his eyes, drawing some confused looks from the nearby pedestrians.
"It's so small. There can't be that many fun things to do there." Hikaru spoke up, a skeptical look on his face as Haruhi rolled her eyes.
"If it's too small for you, why don't you leave and head off to a bigger one?" Haruhi suggested. Hikaru opened his mouth to say something but Tamaki stopped him, dragging him and Kaoru off to the side before whispering incoherent words to them. The three of them then turned to Haruhi with sad puppy eyes, which caused her to glare at them.
"Come on Riku-chan, let's go eat some sweets!" Honey yelled out in excitement, grabbing Riku's hand before dragging him ahead with Mori quickly following behind.
"Hell yeah! I haven't been here in years. I wonder if they still have that cotton candy machine?"
"Cotton candy? I love cotton candy! Can you tell me how it's made?"
"Well, the one and only ingredient you need is sugar, which is why it's so addictive to eat. It's basically fancy sugar. In order for them to…" Riku continued explaining how cotton candy was made to a very excited Honey as the others followed behind.
Haruhi kept a wary eye on the twins and Tamaki as they walked through the crowded walkways off the mall. She wasn't too concerned about them doing anything, especially since it was so crowded, but by the way they kept glancing over at Riku, she couldn't help but feel as though they were plotting something. Hopefully with everyone's eyes on them, it would deter them from making a scene.
Other than a slight feeling of doom, everything went by smoothly.
Riku and Honey got along better than anyone had thought. Apparently, Riku was an expert in desserts and candy and Honey was interested in learning about how all of his favorite treats were made. They spent a good 15 minutes watching the cotton candy machine, watching it spin as they got everyone their own stick of it. After that, they headed straight for the candy store, which had a wonderful bakery right next to it.
This candy store had been around for a long time, even before Haruhi and Riku had been born, and the candyman was able to recognize the pair of them as soon as they walked in. It was refreshing meeting someone who had treated them so kindly in the past, and after promising to visit more often, the candyman had finally let them go.
The bakery next door was new, but was still just as warm and welcoming as the candy shop. They almost had to drag Riku out of there before he could sneak into the back and watch how all the pastries were made.
After that, they just wandered around the mall, hopping into any stores they found interesting.
The twins spent a suspicious amount of time in a toy store where they came back out with a bag they refused to let anyone look inside. Mori had stopped into a store that sold katanas of various shapes and sizes and Kyoya had to explain to him that they were sadly fakes. The store owner had rushed them out before any other customers could overhear Kyoya's explanation of how one could tell and why the store owner would be selling them.
Haruhi noticed that Tamaki was surprisingly quiet. At least, more quieter than usual. She was a bit worried about him because of it, and almost asked him what was wrong before the twins interrupted, saying they should all get some food.
"Fast food? They don't have any dine-in restaurants here?" Kaoru complained as he and Hikaru sat back down at the table with their own food. "Isn't fast food supposed to be bad for you?"
"Of course it is, but trust me Tweedle-dum, you haven't lived if you've never tried McDoodles fries. Sure, if you keep eating it you could have a heart attack, but that's only in large amounts over a long period of time." Riku replied with a dismissive wave of his hand, giving him a smile as Kaoru gave him a skeptical look before grabbing a fry.
"Kyoya, you've been on that phone of yours all day. What could be so important?" Tamaki asked Kyoya, peering over his shoulder to see what he was working on. Haruhi immediately noticed his eyes widened before a look of unease and pity came onto his face as he glanced at Riku, who was laughing with Hikaru.
"What's going on?" Haruhi asked in a soft voice.
"Oh, n-nothing! Kyoya's just doing some research!" Tamaki stammered out, wildly waving his hands around as a nervous smile broke his face. Haruhi rolled her eyes before snatching the phone from Kyoya's hands.
"Wait-" Tamaki started, but stopped when he saw Haruhi's expression hardened.
"You really don't know anything about privacy." She said, turning her hard look to Kyoya, who looked back at her, unfazed.
"It's one of my duties to do thorough background checks on all members."
"You didn't have to dig deep enough to figure out how!" Haruhi raised her voice, catching the attention of everyone else at the table.
"I doubt he would have told me if I asked." Kyoya argued, seeming to grow slightly annoyed.
"So you go behind his back and do some detective work? It's a sensitive topic, but I wouldn't expect you to understand, you still have both your parents."
"Woah now, c-calm down, both of you." Tamaki spoke up, clearly nervous as he glanced quickly at Riku again, then back to Haruhi.
"I will not!" Haruhi yelled at him, causing him to wince at her tone.
"Haruhi, you're overreacting. If I would have known they died in a car accident I wouldn't have-"
"What?" Kyoya cut off as he, Tamaki, and Haruhi all turned to Riku, who had been the one to interrupt. Haruhi turned to Tamaki as they both exchanged nervous looks, unsure of what to say.
"Who died in a car accident?" Hikaru asked, both him and Kaoru oblivious to the tension that had come up. Riku was staring at Haruhi before a look of understanding came to his face. He quietly got up before turning to walk away. Haruhi stumbled after him before grabbing his arm.
"Riku, wait…"
"Just going for a walk, Haruhi. I'll be fine." Riku said softly to her, never once looking back as he pulled away, disappearing around a corner.
…
"He could have gone home." Kaoru said, checking behind a potted plant as Hikaru shrugged his shoulders.
"He's not." Haruhi murmured, standing on her tippy toes to try and see above the crowd in the mall.
"How do you know?"
"Whenever he was stressed home was the last place he would go. He doesn't like worrying his grandma." Kaoru seemed to want to ask more, but stopped when Tamaki came running up to them.
"Did you find him?" He asked, slightly out of breath.
"No, not yet." Haruhi answered. "Where's Mori and Honey-senpai?"
"They went to look for him on the 3rd floor. I told them to send me a message if they spot him."
"I'll go check up there with them, there's a lot more shops up there. You guys head back to the 1st floor." Tamaki and the twins nodded their heads before sprinting off. Haruhi watched them go before she headed off herself, quickly climbing up the escalator two steps at a time.
She took a moment to catch her breath before speeding off, glancing down every aisle in every store as quickly as she could. After about 10 minutes of running around she stopped, breathing heavily as she placed her hands on her knees. She sniffled a bit, squeezing her eyes shut. What if he left again? What if he just took off with his grandma and disappeared without telling her again?
No. Haruhi thought before shaking her head violently. He wouldn't do that. He just needs some space.
With newfound determination Haruhi sprang back up. As soon as she did, her eyes widened before she rushed forward.
"Hey, Kyoya-senpai! Any luck?" She yelled out when she noticed his familiar black hair and shiny glasses. She slowed down, a bit confused as she watched him stare at something. She finally stopped beside him, turning to where he was looking before a soft smile came onto her face.
Her eyes landed on Riku, who was currently sitting on a chair surrounded by children sitting on the floor. They were all smiling and giggling as Riku fiddled with a funny-looking puppet on his left hand. Haruhi couldn't hear what he was saying from where they were standing, but the puppet made a silly face that made all the children laugh out loud as the parents watched with amused expressions.
Haruhi narrowed her eyes when she saw a flash of yellow in the crowd and she frowned, letting out a big sigh when she saw Honey and Mori sitting in the crowd, seeming quite invested in the puppet show. Kyoya glanced at Haruhi for a brief moment before he said in a soft voice:
"I didn't know he did puppet shows."
"Yeah. Just small ones for the neighborhood before he left." An awkward moment of silence fell between them before Kyoya spoke up again.
"I…well, I'm sorry that I-"
"It's okay, but you should be apologizing to him. Not me."
"I'm not good with talking, as I'm sure you're quite aware of."
"Neither is he, but isn't it good for all host club members to have nice, healthy relationships with one another?"
"I suppose you're right about that." Kyoya mumbled, seeming deep in thought. Haruhi turned back to Riku, who was now being applauded as he stood up, giving the crowd a dramatic bow before heading straight toward Haruhi and Kyoya. She gave him a smile, which he returned.
"How'd you enjoy the show?" Riku asked them, seeming relaxed.
"As entertaining as always." Haruhi replied, glancing at Kyoya from the corner of her eye, who was looking off to the side and away from the two of them.
"Riku-chan!" They turned to see Honey riding on Mori's shoulders as he headed to them. "Riku-chan, that was so much fun! You need to do more shows like that!"
"I'm glad you liked it. I was surprised to see you in the crowd. Did you guys finish lunch?"
"Yep! Then we went looking for you! Are you alright Riku-chan?" Riku hesitated before his smile returned.
"Yeah I'm fine. I just needed to entertain a group of strangers to get my mind off things. Where are the twins and King?"
"Apparently they're in the security office because the twins accidentally pushed Tamaki into one of the water fountains." Kyoya spoke up, a small frown on his face as he looked down at his phone. Riku burst out laughing as Haruhi let out a deep sigh.
Tamaki was wrapped in a blanket, tears streaming down his face as the twins giggled behind their hands. When the rest of the group popped up Tamaki immediately went to Haruhi, complaining to her as Riku tried not to laugh out loud again. After the twins got a scolding from Haruhi they all decided that it was time to head out.
…
Haruhi glanced back at Kyoya and Riku, who were currently walking in the back of the group side-by-side. She could tell Kyoya was uncomfortable with the way he avoided looking at anyone and how he walked with his hands behind his back, something she had noticed since her time in the host club. Tamaki noticed her worried look and patted her gently on the shoulder before saying softly:
"It's okay. I'm sure they'll work it out." Haruhi nodded her head, feeling a bit more relaxed, but still nervous with how they were going to talk to each other.
…
"You know you could join the others up there instead of walking uncomfortably back here with me." Riku suddenly spoke up, causing Kyoya to look at him with a surprised expression.
"I'm not uncomfortable." Kyoya replied before looking away again.
"I've dealt with people being nervous around me my whole life. It's pretty obvious to me at this point when someone doesn't feel right being near me."
"It's not that I don't feel right, I'm just not sure what to say." Riku grew quiet for a moment.
"It's okay." An awkward silence fell between them.
"I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier. I had no right to look into the exact cause of your parents death." Kyoya said quietly. Another moment of silence passed before Riku responded.
"It happened when I was 9." He paused before continuing. "We were heading to our favorite place to eat to celebrate when a drunk driver ran head-first into us after running a red light. They died on impact and I was knocked out. My head injury is the reason why I'm sensitive to light and I was impaled by a shard of glass above my stomach. Still got the scar."
Kyoya stared at him, trying to read his face, which was hard due to the shades he still wore over his eyes. He had a small, sad smile.
"What were you celebrating?" Kyoya managed to ask.
"We-we figured out I was having a baby sister." Riku said, his voice shaking a bit as he quickly looked away. "It's-um, look…I haven't told anyone yet. Neither Haruhi nor my grandma. If you could keep this between us I would-I would appreciate it."
"Of course."
"And I forgive you."
"I-Thank you."
"No problem." Riku gave him a smile. The group continued walking for the next few minutes before stopping in front of Riku's apartment complex.
"Well, I'd say that this day has certainly been eventful. I appreciate you guys taking me out to get some fresh air." Riku said, stopping right outside his door to look back at them.
"Of course! Anything for a fellow host member!" Tamaki said cheerfully before sneezing.
"Bless you, and maybe next time warn me before popping into my place?"
"No promises." Hikaru and Kaoru said simultaneously. Tamaki sneezed again.
"Bless you, and I've gotta head inside. See you guys later." Riku then waved them off before heading inside. Haruhi sighed before turning to Kyoya.
"Did you guys get the chance to talk it out?"
"I think we're okay now."
"Talk about what?" Hikaru asked.
"Yeah, you three have been whispering and hiding something all day." Tamaki sneezed again.
"Bless you." Everyone said at once.
"I think you need to go home, Tamaki-senpai. You might have a cold." Haruhi said to Tamaki, who sniffled and nodded his head before the twins steered him away.
"Do you need a ride home Haru-chan?" Honey asked her.
"Oh, yes please."
"Hehe, let's go!"
Haruhi smiled before following Mori and Honey.