A/N: Konnichiwa, minna-san!! Yes, I apologize for the somewhat hiatus… Like the usual excuse: school and the hell it raises for the rest of us. Now I have ample time to keep this story going (not if writer's block gets me first..) and make it up to you.
I'm still contemplating on under which circumstances Kyo and my OC will have that meeting. So that means the next chap will take more time to be completed. I apologize in advance. And thanks to those who've R&R the last chapter!! Wuv you all!!
Disclaimer: The brilliance that is Ouran Host Club is Bisco Hatori's and hers alone. The OCs, obviously, belong to me.
"What the ---!!"
The glass of water landed on table with a loud thud, sending large beads of its content splattering on the table cloth.
"Wow. I really forgot to tell you, didn't I?" Haruhi, now standing right in front of Kumiko, had an amused expression on her pretty face.
"You're – you,--- how--?" stammered Kumiko who was yet to recover from shock in the sudden appearance of her friend.
Without another word, Haruhi gave her startled friend a warm hug.
"Yeah, I missed you too Kumiko,"
Kumiko returned the embrace tightly and let out a small squeal of delight, which earned glances from the other tables. Haruhi then pulled a chair and sat opposite Kumiko.
The former host caught the attention of the waitress and sent her away with her order of a cup of coffee and a glass of grapefruit juice.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were arriving this week? Are you with Tamaki-kun? And where did you come from just now?" Kumiko fired away at Haruhi, shaking her hands with the same eagerness as her questioning.
Haruhi almost rolled her eyes at the somewhat childish façade her friend was displaying.
Tapping her chin, she went ahead and started answering Kumiko's queries. "Hmm… Let's see… Which would I answer first? Well, I actually intended to tell you at our last conversation on the phone, but unfortunately, an idiot butted in and I --- "
"Your idiot. Remember that."
Haruhi smiled (albeit irritably) at the little intrusion. "Okay. My idiot butted in and that's why I completely forgot to inform you of our little homecoming." Afterwards, she brushed her now shoulder-length hair with her fingers and took a moment to savor her juice.
Haruhi looked contented, despite of her still nonchalant ways. After almost 8 years since departing from their alma mater, Ouran, she was still the headstrong girl that everybody had come to know. Though physically, she was now more feminine and even cared enough to apply cosmetics and her wardrobe now consist of clothes her father could've been proud of, little of her character managed to change. Remaining as the frighteningly frank girl who can pierce anyone with her utter bluntness and the stubborn commoner whose density can rival that of the Host Club King himself. Fujioka Haruhi is Fujioka Haruhi, and that's what any make-over cannot ever change.
"As to your other question, I was just walking around and trying to get reacquainted with Tokyo. I missed Japan so much! Paris was as romantic as they say, but you get tired with the lights eventually. Though the food there was great, I can't help but crave for sukiyaki and ootoro."
Ah. Ootoro. She'd fly halfway across the world for that.
"So you mean, you actually came home just because you missed sushi and walking around Tokyo?"
"Of course, it's not entirely about going back to Japan just for the sake of it! We haven't had an official engagement announcement, so Tamaki insisted that we hold an engagement party first. It really doesn't bother me if we have one or not, I'd rather worry about the wedding than an engagement party. But little trivial things like that excite Tamaki so much, it would be exasperating to hear of him nagging about it if I don't show much enthusiasm."
"When will be the wedding?"
"Sometime this autumn. The date isn't really set yet." casually replied Haruhi.
"That's nice. I've always wanted an autumn wedding myself! With golden hues as motif, which goes splendidly with the colors of fall," Kumiko supplied rather dreamily.
The other brunette nodded with full agreement. Autumn sceneries would be the perfect background to a wedding. And the idea of dancing under the shower of leaves seems to be romantic.
"But…. Since you'll have an autumn wedding, I'm changing my preference to a summer wedding instead," Kumiko said after some thought.
Haruhi's brow started to rise. And then a mischievous smile became apparent on her face.
She leaned closer at her friend, giving her a scrutinizing look like she was a suspect under interrogation. "Kumiko, are you in a relationship right now?"
Blood rushed automatically to the stunned woman's cheeks and almost spat out her frappucino, while the lawyer kept her hard stare and waited for Kumiko to give her a decent answer.
"—W-why.. {choke} ---such sudden.. Inquiry?" choked out Kumiko as she tried to catch her breath and down water as fast as she can.
"What's the matter? Was it so bad as to ask a friend about her whereabouts? I just wanted to know if you're dating someone or not. It's not something to make a big fuss about."
Kumiko kept silent. She waited 'til her inner turmoil subsided. It was a topic she wanted to avoid; yet it's not quite right to keep something from somebody who's close to you. Come to think of it, it's something too trivial to be worth upsetting about. It's just something friends should be talking casually about; besides, Haruhi just got home after three long years from France, why should she start keeping things to herself now?
She put a small smile on her face and released a soft sigh, before answering. "No one in particular. I don't feel like dating anyone at the moment." Her answer seemed a little gloomy to Haruhi's ears. Her friend seemed troubled.
"Really? And to think that you're the more marriageable type among the two of us," Haruhi jokingly retorted.
As a response, Kumiko only rolled her eyes and yet again sighed, something she had been doing a lot since the conversation started. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered annoyingly. "If anything, I'm actually really inclined to my current civil status and have no plans of changing it soon," Kumiko added to further prove her point. Haruhi just snorted at that.
After realizing that they have both finished consuming their food, the two decided to vacate their table and continue their chitchat in a place a little more private.
"You have a car with you?" Kumiko asked Haruhi when they got outside.
"Nope. I decided to commute. I missed that prospect of my life after always being driven around Paris by Tamaki,"
Kumiko smiled in agreement and eyed the bustling streets, filled with hordes of people from all walks of life. Paris is less crowded compared to Tokyo.
Paris has a more lax environment, while the Japanese capital jostles with its residents who are always on the go. There was quite the contrast though both cities hold their own incomparable charms that continue to lure a wide range of people, either for a fleeting vacation or for a permanent stay.
You couldn't really blame Haruhi for feeling sentimental about it. Though, she might have grown fond of the French customs in the expanse of her three-year stay, Japan will always be the place she'll keep coming back to no matter what part of the world she goes to. After a change of scenery, it was quite refreshing to be back to old routines and blending into old crowds.
Quite a while passed spent enveloped in their thoughts when Haruhi made a suggestion. "Hmm… How 'bout Ginza? I haven't been there for ages." And with that, her friend's face lightened up.
"Ginza it is," Kumiko mumbled in approval while grabbing Haruhi by the hand and led her to the turquoise-hued convertible which was parked a few meters from the café they went to.
----------
As expected, the streets lined with the glorious sakura trees were filled with people who were strolling around, enjoying the full-bloomed blossoms just like the two friends did. It was late into spring, but a lot still held hanami parties under the cherry blossom trees. Getting drunk under the shower of petals sure was a trend this season.
The peak of the blooming season for the sakura trees had passed. And it's quite sad to know that the last remaining blossoms for the season will fall out soon, but the place was a still a wonderful sight.
Haruhi and Kumiko chose a bench under the shade of a sakura tree nearby the parked car. The two of them seemed to be in a trance just looking at the petals as they descend gracefully to the ground. The scene itself could deduce anyone into wishful thinking and a lightheaded mind-state.
"Wow," Haruhi said breathlessly, "wouldn't it be nice to hold a wedding under all these?" she added as she turned to her equally enthralled friend.
"Huh? Oh yeah," was Kumiko's absent-minded reply. If it weren't for this chance meeting with Haruhi, she wouldn't have seen this blushing scenery. It's been so long since the last time she'd treated herself to this subtle pleasure of just watching the unfolding, or in this case the near-conclusion, of spring in the representation of the cherry blossoms. It was utterly refreshing.
She awoke from her reverie at Haruhi's voice.
"Mom really adored the spring season. Back when she was alive, she, along with Dad, took me to see the sakura trees bloom around Tokyo every time spring began. We would all suffer the cold afterwards due to her insistence that early mornings were perfect for watching the trees burst into life size bouquets!" Haruhi narrated as she gestured towards the pink blossoms fluttering around.
"And the two of them got married on a beautiful, clear spring day. She loved it very much that she decided to name her child after it. Maybe if I had brothers and sisters, we'd all have spring attached to our names," she continued, a soft smile gracing her face.
"You really miss her, don't you?" muttered Kumiko as both of them shift their view back to the flowers. 'Miss' would be an understatement, she decided. Looking at Haruhi's hazel eyes, the longing for her dead mother clearly reflected.
It's not long after that she brings a finger to wipe a single tear cruising down Haruhi's cheek. She had never experienced such a devastating loss that could make her understand what Haruhi went through emotionally, but what she witnesses every time the topic of mothers is brought up is quite enough to make her feel the anguish that consumes her friend.
Unjustly cruel you may call it, but that's how fate sometimes works. In one moment, an innocent child goes to bed without a care in this world, satisfied of a day well-spent with her family; then in another, that same child finds herself waking up to the harshest emotional states, realizing that a doting mother had just been snatched away from her by death.
But it never ceases to amaze people of how Haruhi handled it all at such a young age. She didn't spend the rest of her childhood holed up in a room screaming for her mother, nor wasted her days cursing the gods; she did what any sensible person should do: moving on and using her situation to be self-reliant and aiming for a better future. She lived her life just as the way Kotoko hoped her to and more.
"Haru, what do you think could've been her impression on Tamaki?" there was sheer curiosity in Kumiko's voice.
Haruhi, who now donned a lighter expression, gave the query a thought. It intrigued her; it really was a question worth pondering her thoughts on.
But coming up with a proper answer seemed quite an endeavor.
With brows furrowed and lips pursed, the ex-host assessed her friend's question a little more seriously. "Hey! No need to get all worked up. It was just a very random thought. Really, Haruhi." Kumiko didn't want to be the reason for a subsequent headache.
Haruhi, turning to her friend, burst out in a hearty laugh. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea whatsoever of how Okaa-san would've analyzed Tamaki's personality. But something tells me that she'll probably agree with the rest of us."
"Tsk, tsk. He could've worked twice as hard in convincing your parents. I mean, Ranka-san already gave him a hard time just to have his consent to date you!" Kumiko had her fair share of giggling.
"True enough. But hey, Otou-san gave in eventually."
Kumiko eyed Haruhi and said, "I guess it's just that the Fujiokas are just not that susceptible to his charms. Well, who in their right minds would be?"
"But don't forget he was the source of almost half of the host clubs income," added Haruhi thoughtfully.
Her fits stopped abruptly as Kumiko gave the fact a thought. "I guess your right. But I might as well add that that he's also the cause of more than half of the host club's expenditures."
And Haruhi had to agree with that. "Gave Kyouya-senpai quite a daily dose of headaches, actually."
"Pitiful, actually..." Kumiko's thoughts went promptly to their high school days; back to the third music room and the scene of the host club running full-tilt. Images of the 6 hosts catering to their costumer's desires, flaunting their individual harems on the yellow-clad ladies who couldn't help but faint (this happened fairly often, mind you) and to the 7th host who paid more attention to his numerous charts and unending summations rather than the many girls who secretly worshipped him.
"Believe me. You just don't want to know how Kyouya-senpai finds 'remedies' for all those," she grimaced. And I didn't call him the 'Shadow King' for nothing.She decided to spare Kumiko the details of the marketing side of the host club; she was not worth scarring.
On the other hand, Kumiko was actually interested but did not press for additional information. Judging on Haruhi's current expression, talking about it would certainly bring about traumatic experiences associated with debts and the famous smirk from a bespectacled man.
In response, Kumiko just laughed. From there, a lively conversation ensued between the two of them and then, a quick stroll through the streets.
"Haruhi,"
"Hmm?"
"It's good to have you back."
-----------
Meanwhile, Kyouya paced about in the Ootori Mansion's spacious library, rummaging for documents that he would be needing for his latest venture.
At least 20% of his stocks were at stake, and he couldn't afford to lose time in preparing. He is, after all, known to deal with his cards well and there was no room for failures when it comes to business matters.
Distractions were the last things he needed, though he was up for a cup of coffee or two.
Well, if only Tamaki knew that in the first place, he wouldn't have barged in without invitation (like he always does) and be the subject of murderous intent. But Tamaki was Tamaki, and there was no use dwelling further in that matter.
"Kyouya!" hollered the blond man at his unsuspecting best friend.
The dark-haired man almost dropped the stack of papers he was balancing in one arm at the sudden (unwelcome) intrusion. He turned at once to the direction where the noise came from.
Tamaki, however, oblivious to the significance of the time to Kyouya, jovially strode towards him and was about to bestow his friend an embrace when an icy voice spoke aloud.
"What the hell are you doing here?" the initial surprise was in his voice.
Although he knew Tamaki and Haruhi was due to arrive in Japan this week, he was not specifically notified of the exact date of their arrival.
A frown surfaced on the ex-King's (of the Host Club, that is) flawless face. "Is that a way to greet your best friend? I've just arrived from France and you're already treating me with such atrocious behavior. So disappointed of you, dear Kyouya," he pouted.
An exasperated sigh emerged from the Ootori's lips and a hand involuntarily went to massage his temple. "I'm sorry, Tamaki. It's just that you have chosen the worst time and place for your… visit. You could've called beforehand. I have important matters to attend to right now and do not want any disturbances."
"Still as grouchy as ever, eh? Well, do not fear, because my presence here will be brief. I also have certain matters that need my attention," Tamaki explained, which made Kyouya sigh with relief.
"Well, do you not have any intentions of learning about my well being after being away for three years?" an incredulous expression apparent on the blonde's face.
Kyouya just cocked an eyebrow and continued sorting out some documents. He yet, again sighed before addressing Tamaki. "How could I not know about your well being when there was not a month that I don't hear of you? You've been calling me for the past three years and you're constantly e-mailing me roughly every week."
Tamaki let out an indignant cry, which Kyouya ignored.
"But you must at least care! You must be at least happy that instead of just phone calls or e-mails, I'm actually here, in the flesh! Aren't you happy to have your best friend back after three long years of absence?" Tamaki wailed characteristically.
Again, the bespectacled man merely rolled his eyes at that.
"Okay, okay. Enough of that whining. Get to the point already." Kyouya's patience was wearing thin and his mind was rather exhausted.
Suou grinned, instantly recovering from his outburst. "As I have informed you, I had just arrived from my beautiful France with my equally beautiful Haruhi. By the way, the meeting between Haruhi and Mother was an instant success! It moved me to tears at actually watching their little interaction. Everything was perfect, you see! The rest of the Grantaine household welcomed Haruhi warmly as if she were their own. You should've been there! And last week I proposed to her… wait, I told you this before didn't I? But still, it was a wonderful moment to recall again and again---"
"Cut to the chase, Tamaki," he muttered irritably.
Still in a very cherry voice Tamaki concluded, "… and I'm here to personally hand out an invitation to our engagement party for next week," then handed Kyouya the light blue envelope containing the invitation.
After accomplishing his task, he merely said, "I'll be expecting you Kyouya! And you can bring a date along if you like, though that is not really a requirement. But, if you do then, great! I'll see you soon." And as sudden as he entered, he was gone; leaving Kyouya with the envelope in hand, a wary look etched on his face.
Really, of all people he had to befriend, it had to be that Suou with the outrageous antics and unnecessary exuberance to boot.
Another exasperated sigh escaped him as he eyed the piece in his hand. Bemused, he recalled what the idiot had said before disappearing.
"A date? Now, where did he get that idea from?"
A/N: Btw, I also need to apologize about the last chapter. I sucked at fashion, thus the lame description of the dress. But I guess you'll get an idea of how it looks…
And about Ginza.. Well, honestly, I haven't done an actual research about it, but I read a book with a description of some sort involving the sakura trees. You're free to correct me if my infos are wrong though.
Reviews are like sugar to my sweet tooth, so please let me indulge in those goodies!!