A/N: Hello again, now we're onto the real story. My songs of choice while writing this out were 'Welcome to the black parade' and 'Where is the love'.
I hope you all enjoy. Chow.
Disclaimer : I do not own Ouran or any references belonging to Lycanthrope Leo or Nana and their respective owners.
Within the wintered forest,
This world held by frost,
The Great Beast moves unnoticed.
A flash of light arced wildly across the darkened sky, veins of bluish-white spreading out over the gloomy masses hovering high above, momentarily illuminating the busy streets below. As a deep rumble of thunder rolled out through the air over the city the sky broke and a flood of rain poured forth from the vault of heaven, falling to the earth below. As the first few fat drops quickly turned into a heavy downpour the people walking below scattered to the nearest shelters to escape getting drenched.
While people pushed and shoved to huddle within doorways and beneath any available overhangs two figures in dark cloaks darted down the emptied sidewalks. Icy rain pounded down on their bodies and a viscous wind tugged fiercely at their clothes as they ran full speed, moving as if their very lives depended on it, swinging around corners and bounding across busy streets.
Another bolt of lightning flashed through the sky and one of the figures, the shorter of the two, tripped and fell to the ground. The other figure who'd been leading the way halted, turned and ran back to the one who'd fallen and for some inexplicable reason lay hunched over the wet cement, their arms thrown up over their head as they trembled uncontrollably. Reaching out the second figure grabbed an arm and pulled his companion up off the ground and, with his own arm wrapped around their back, half-dragged the smaller one through the streets until half an hour later they reached an old apartment complex.
The metal steps clanged loudly as they both climbed hurriedly up the stairs to the second floor and moved quickly for a door at the end of the walkway. Unlocking it after a few clumsy attempts the door opened and the two practically stumbled over one another into the small room beyond, slamming the door behind them and throwing the room back into a state of pitch black. Someone uttered a small curse and there was the sound of someone fumbling around before the lights suddenly clicked on.
The two of them were standing in a kitchen… a rather empty kitchen. Aside from a lonely fridge that sat off to the side the room was bare of any other furniture or objects that might have given it the slightest personality. The smallest of the pair sniffed, noting the staleness in the air, reached out and ran a hand over the counter leaving a very distinct trail that stood out in the thick layer of dust that covered it. The house hadn't been in use for apparently quite some time.
There were two other doors in the room, one to the left of the entrance and a dingy sliding door on the other side of the room. The taller figure went straight for the sliding door and after a brief struggle with its stubborn wheels pulled it open, ushering the other one through.
The next room was as bad as the kitchen. In this room there was only one large table that occupied the center and a small t.v. tucked away in a corner. Both were equally coated in a blanket of dust as deep as what had been on the counter.
"Well-," said the one who had led them there as he shrugged off his wet cloak. "-we're here."
He was a handsome young man, maybe somewhere in his mid-twenties, who stood somewhere around six feet tall. Even with the dark heavy bags under his eyes or the drawn look to his colorless face he was still unimaginably good looking. Running a hand through the wet brown locks that clung stubbornly to his face he glanced over at his companion with tired eyes that in the faint light from the ceiling were revealed to be a darkish brown color with an oddly reddish tint.
The other figure hovered near the door, head bowed and unmoving. With a sigh the man stepped lightly around the table towards a closet on the other side. Sliding it open he stared inside for a moment before reaching in and pulling out several old and worn out towels. Holding them in one hand he gave the towels a few hardy shakes that dispelled a small cloud of dust into the air. Coughing as the cloud invaded his lungs he made his way back across the room and held one of them out.
"Here, use this to dry off. It's not exactly clean but it'll do the job." After his companion mutely accepted the towel he started towards the only other door in the room.
"Stay here while I go check in the bedroom to see if there are any dry clothes we can change into. It's been a while but I think there just might be some."
As he went into the other room connected to the living room the silent figure brought up a hand and removed the hood revealing the tired looking face of a young woman framed with dark tresses. She undid the clasp holding the cloak together in the front and shed the wet garment off her slender body, letting it fall to the floor while she let her brown eyes wander aimlessly over the room. Taking in the sheer emptiness of the room a dark feeling brushed over her heart and an uncomfortable itch entered her eyes. She honestly felt like crying.
Then the man came back into the room with a pair of pants and shirt in hand and she quickly hid her face into the dingy towel so he wouldn't see how close she was to tears.
"There are some clothes that I think will fit you on the desk in the next room. Go and change in there while I change out here. And hey- don't go peeking. I'm a shy boy you know."
He sent her a half-hearted smile at his attempt at humor while she sailed past him towards the bedroom without bothering to return it. As she entered she immediately located the desk with a small pile of clothes that were obviously meant for her. Closing the door behind her she reached into the pile and started shifting through it until she found a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt that would fit her comfortably enough.
Peeling off her clothes which stuck to her like a second skin she hung them over the chair set against the desk to dry before looking down at her underwear. The rain had been so bad that even those had been soaked clean through. With a sigh she stripped them off too and, seeing no place to put them out of sight, hid them under her other wet clothes before pulling on the shorts and shirt.
She started moving towards the door, wrapping the damp towel around her head, when she paused and turned her head to look back at the room. Like the other two rooms there was little to nothing in it. Next to the desk was an empty bookcase and over in the far corner was a small table with a reading lamp on top. There were no windows in this room and the walls, darkened with dust and age, were all bare – except for what appeared to be a poster tacked to the wall above the lamp.
From this angle by the door she couldn't see what was on it so she moved in closer until she found herself standing in front of it. Printed on the poster was the picture of a stage in some kind of club lit by lights in front of a sizable audience. Standing on it were two guitarists who were positioned off to either side, one who had blond hair and was decked out in leather apparel while the other looked like a bishonen with blue hair and a face full of piercings, neither of whom looked like they were even out of their teens yet, an intense looking drummer, bald headed and wearing a black suit and shades with a cigarette hanging out his mouth, while standing right at the very front singing her heart out into a microphone held in both hands was a woman-the bands lead singer.
The woman was pearly white skin bathed near entirely in black. Besides her own straight black hair and the dark makeup painted on her face she wore a pinstripe jacket and matching tie of three different colors (white, black and grey) over a black blouse and black skirt over a pair of black slacks. All that black gave her a gothic appeal. She looked exotic. And beautiful.
Her eyes traveled above the band to the top of the poster where in bold black letters surrounded in white was the band's name- 'Blast'.
"What's Blast, daddy?"
"A few years ago Blast was a pretty famous band from the same town where I used to live sweetie- One that, when we were younger, both me and your mother went to a lot of concerts for. This is a picture of them at their first live in Tokyo. "
"Were they really good?"
"The best! They were the greatest band in the entire world!"
She jerked her head away from the poster as the voices, an achingly familiar echo from the past, sounded inside her head. But after it there came other echoes- accompanied by hazy scenes and hinted scents and all the feelings that went with them. As the rush of memories swarmed within her, feeling with them a swell of darkness that rose up and washed over her heart while the itchy sensation in her eyes got infinitely worse, she closed her eyes. In the darkness of her mind she was submerged beneath crushing waves within a roaring sea of emotion, tossed and turned by an unrelenting current and drowning on every drop filled alike with both the painful and cheerful moments of her life.
Taking a deep steady breath she forced her body to relax and started counting to seven in her head before exhaling for a count of five and then drawing in another breath to repeat the process. She did this over and over, concentrating on her breathing as the sea within her mind slowly emptied out, the tide of memories falling back until finally she stood upon a tiny island and there was nothing left but the sound of her own breathing.
Opening her eyes again she turned away from the wall and the poster and stepped lightly towards the door, trying her hardest not to look too closely at anything in the room itself. She didn't want to find herself remembering anything else, caught up again in the choking hold of the sea- not right now.
Sliding the door open she stepped back into the living room and immediately realized the man wasn't there. From the kitchen however she could hear the sound of cupboard doors being opened and shut and clanging metal as someone moved about in the other room. Gazing about the room, she was suddenly irked as she noticed the pile of wet clothing dumped on top of the table's dirty surface.
'Honestly! 'She thought to herself as she picked them up off the table, taking them with her back into the bedroom. It aggravated her greatly whenever he left things like that, and she knew that he knew it as well. This only led to the suspected conclusion that he did it purposely to frustrate her. Even though he was older than her he still acted like an immature child!
She heard footsteps behind her as she laid his clothes out next to hers and turned her head to see him standing in the doorway with a sheepish grin on his face.
"Er- you didn't have to do that."
"Didn't I?" she replied as she laid the last piece of clothing, a pair of black boxers with purple hearts all over it, on top of his pants. "Because it seems to me that if I don't do it, it never gets done, now does it- Uncle?"
"Oh come on, Haruhiii-! "The man whined, drawing out the last syllable of her name. "I told you I didn't want you calling me that! It makes me sound old! And anyways I would've put them up eventually- I just felt that other things were more important at the moment."
"Like what?" Haruhi asked, turning the rest of her body to face him while crossing her arms and giving him a pointed look.
"Like finding out if we had anything edible besides baked beans and old ramen noodle." He said holding up a big brown can with the picture of a steaming bowl of the stuff printed on the label in one hand and a couple packages of instant ramen in the other. "So what's your flavor, pork or chicken?"
"…Pork." She said with a deep sigh as she followed him back into the kitchen. On the stove was a small pot filled halfway with water set over a low flame. Taking the packages from him as he started going through the drawers again to find a can opener she crushed them with both hands before opening them and dumping the contents into the pot, being careful to catch the silver packages that held the seasoning before they fell into the water. She looked up from stirring the pot with a wooden spoon when she heard him slam the last drawer he'd opened and curse in frustration.
"Not a damn can opener anywhere. I could've sworn when we'd left, this place was better stocked than this." He stared thoughtfully at the can for a moment before reaching out and picking it up with his left hand. Flexing his right hand he placed three fingers over the top of the can and started pressing down until-
- Pop!
His fingers sank straight into the metal top! Holding firmly onto the can he yanked hard, peeling the top off and threw it into the sink. He quickly brought his hand up to his mouth and started licking the sweet juices running down his fingers.
"I hope you remembered to wash your hands."
"They're clean enough." He replied dismissively. Reaching into another cupboard he pulled out a pair of bowls and small plates that looked like they had known better days. Running them under the faucet first he shook away the excess water before he dumped half the can of beans onto each plate while Haruhi took the bowls and split the ramen the same way. Taking their meal back into the living room Haruhi whipped the towel off her head and wiped the table clean before setting the dishes down.
"Itadakimasu!" her uncle said out loud and dug into his food while Haruhi picked quietly at hers. They ate in silence for a few minutes before the man started moving his head to take in the room.
"Man, Kotoko would cry if she'd seen how gloomy this place has gotten." Her uncle suddenly commented.
Haruhi jolted as her mother's name was brought up and looked up from her plate to see him gazing fondly around the room. "I remember way back when me and your folks first got this place. We'd just came down from up north and neither me nor your father had so much as a single cent between the both of us but your mother- being the amazingly resourceful woman she was- made a few calls and managed to pull some strings and before you knew it this is where we were. The years that followed after are still among the best memories I have…"
The man shook himself before turning his eyes onto her.
"It'll take a little elbow grease but I think that the two of us can get this place back into tiptop shape in no time. Tomorrow we'll clean the place up a bit, go and buy some of the necessities you'll need like food, clothes, a few pictures to decorate the walls… and then after that we'll go and get you signed on to the account so you'll have access to the funds."
Haruhi felt her mouth go very dry. This was the moment she'd been dreading.
"We'll get everything settled with the landlord and then-"
"You'll take off." She finished, keeping her eyes concentrated on her plate.
"…Haruhi, you know I have no choice. The Tribe has to be informed about what's happened. At most I'll only be gone about a month and-"
"A month!" she scoffed, setting her fork down. Standing up from the table she stalked over to the window, crossed her arms and stared out at the pouring rain, watching it splatter against the pane and dribble to the bottom.
"And just what did you expect me to do while you were away all this time, hmmm? Spend my time sitting over in the corner, counting the minutes go by? Do you honestly think I could live like that? Alone in this house day after day all by myself while waiting for you to come back when… when you might not even come back?"
She said all this while focusing her attention beyond the window, refusing to even look at him, but from his position on the floor he could see how badly her arms were shaking.
"Haruhi…" Her uncle sighed, standing up to his own feet and walked around the table to where she stood and wove his arms around her.
She turned within his embrace and leaned into him, circling her arms around his waist. A stifled sob broke loose of her lips and she pushed her face into him, breathing harshly into his chest, taking in his scent and with it a small measure of comfort as he ran one of his hands soothingly up and down her back.
"Please-"She begged in a thin voice. "Please… just take me with you. Don't leave me alone in this place."
"Haruhi, I honestly wish I could but, with the way things are, the Elders-"
-Wouldn't allow it, because the Elders simply didn't trust her. He didn't need to say anything because that was the unspoken truth they were both aware of. From the time ever since she was a small child the Tribe, the people who were suppose to be her family, her kin, had denied her the very right to walk amongst them. Not even being of their blood had given her that.
After all she was her father's daughter.
A low angry growl sounded somewhere in the recesses of her mind at the thought of the injustice but she clenched her teeth and ignored it, instead pushing herself from her uncle's chest to look him in the eyes.
"Promise me you'll come back."
He smiled warmly at her before ruffling the top of her head. "I promise, even if the Elders dare to forbid it, that I'll come back to you. Just you don't go about and replace me while I'm gone."
"Right," She replied sarcastically, moving out of his arms to walk back to the table "As if there could ever be anybody as remotely annoying to take your place."
Her uncle tried to look offended but gave up when Haruhi giggled at his expression and instead gave a throaty chuckle himself. Taking her seat Haruhi turned her head to glace about the room like her uncle had and sighed sadly as she once more took in the despairing emptiness of it. Even now it was difficult to believe that this place had once been, and was for the unforeseeable future going to be, her home.
"It's going to be lonely waiting for you to return- not to mention boring." She said as she took up her fork and started pushing her food around the plate again.
"Don't be too sure about that" her uncle replied, returning to his own seat.
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking at him in confusion.
"Well you didn't honestly think you'd be free to spend all your time over in the corner did you?" he said giving her a lopsided grin. "You forget that you're still only fifteen, and a fifteen year old girl living by herself would unfortunately only draw attention. Regrettably there's nothing we can do about that for the time being, but what we can do is give you something to do which will help ease some of the suspicion off of you. I had to give it some thought on our way here and as I was thinking I remembered an acquaintance of mine who may hold a solution."
"A solution?" she questioned, suddenly not liking the cheerful grin plastered on his face. "What is it?"
"Tell me my dear, have you ever heard of a place called Ouran?"
A/N: so what did you think? Give me reviews so I may know. Oh, and give me some song suggestions cause I also need those if I'm to keep my creativity going.