When classes ended that day, the trio told the other Host Club members the good news before activities started. They had wisely chosen to keep their lips zipped about the twins' proposal, though. All they talked about was Yuzuha's overwhelming acceptance.
"That's great, Haru-chan!" Honey chirped.
"Then I assume that my plan went in your favor," Kyoya commented.
Haruhi smiled at him a little. "Thank you, senpai."
"And I also assume," he went on. "That you need my help again, correct?"
Hikaru and Kaoru gave a fervent yes, but Haruhi shook her head decisively. "No, it's just my dad. I guess I can handle it fine."
"Haruhi," the twins hissed. "What are you doing? We've seen your dad in action before. He'll totally murder us!"
"Not if you two keep your heads," she said dryly.
Tamaki suddenly popped up behind her. Apparently, he was still upset about not being able to barge in on their confrontation with Yuzuha and for the fact that Haruhi had slept over with the twins last night (he found this out since he saw her climb out of their limo that morning).
"But you know, Haruhi," said the blonde. "If, say, I was there, then I could act as your moral support!"
"You'll do anything to get your nose in my business, huh, Tamaki-senpai?"
He looked at her, aghast. "Such accusations! I simply wish to be with you, my daughter! That's what daddies are for!"
"If Tamaki goes, then I suppose I'll have to as well," Kyoya sighed. "We don't want him getting into trouble."
"Me and Takashi will be there too!" Honey chimed in. "We could bring some cake to cheer Ranka-san up!"
That was how Haruhi ended up with the entire Host Club over at her apartment after school.
--
"So, what's the plan?" the twins asked Haruhi for the fifth time in two hours.
She turned around, annoyed. "I told you, I'll just tell him. You didn't even need to come. There's really not much to say."
"How come she always seems to lack motivation for anything?" Kaoru complained as Haruhi went to the kitchen. "It's a wonder how she ever gets anything done!"
"I get things done just fine," Haruhi called. "Actually, the times when I don't get work done are during the times I hang around with you guys."
"What time is your dad coming back, Haru-chan?"
"I'm not really sure, senpai," she replied, coming back to the table with a plate of something. "Want some?"
"Haruhi's cooking!" Tamaki exclaimed, and he immediately grabbed one and stuffed it in his mouth whole.
"How is it, boss?" Hikaru snickered. "Delicious, ne?"
Everyone watched as Tamaki put on his bravest face and kept on chewing, though he was visibly getting greener by the second. Finally, he swallowed it down and signed for a glass of water. He downed it in one gulp.
"Eh, is it really that bad?" Haruhi asked herself as she picked one.
"Pardon me for asking," Kyoya said, aware of Tamaki who was trying (and failing) to discreetly retch behind him. "But what exactly is that dish?"
"Basically, it's onigiri," she answered, biting the one she held. "I stuffed it with the kimchi that my Korean neighbor gave me."
Mori picked one up and Honey looked at it over his shoulder. "I've had those before! I don't get it, why doesn't Tama-chan like it? They're supposed to be really yummy."
"Kimchi is spicy cabbage," Kaoru shrugged. "I have the chef at home make it for me all the time. Maybe the boss couldn't handle the spiciness?"
He took the smallest one from the plate, examined it cautiously and nibbled the corner. Finding nothing wrong with the rice, he bit into the filling. Immediately, Kaoru's eyes began to water, but he held his ground.
"Water," he said after swallowing. His voice came out raspy. Hikaru gave his brother his own glass, and even after drinking it all, Kaoru still couldn't make a sentence.
After a while, though, he looked at Haruhi. "Too spicy," he croaked.
"Ah, I'm sorry," she said ruefully. "It didn't have enough zing for me, so I added a lot of hot sauce."
Kaoru smiled at her forgivingly and handed the rest of his onigiri to Hikaru, who crossed his hands in front of his face.
"No thanks. If it was too spicy for you, then it'll probably fry my internal organs."
Tamaki's tongue had mended. His thoughts went back to his past daydreams about Haruhi whipping up a box lunch for him. I had no idea that my little girl was such a terrible cook!
"Don't be upset, Haruhi!" he proclaimed out of thin air. "I will see to it that you get the finest culinary education of this century! Your cooking will improve, and then you will be able to make a nice box lunch for your daddy!"
"Pretentious objectives aside," Kyoya interrupted. "I know that Haruhi is in fact a good cook; for commoner standards, that is. She makes food for Ranka-san and herself every day."
"This is supposed to be good for commoner standards?" Tamaki asked in a panic.
"No, you dunce," he replied, mildly irked by his friend's shallow mind. "Unfortunately, Haruhi's cooking skills are affected by her cravings, which are caused by her current circumstance."
"Circumstance?"
"Idiot lord," The twins lightly whacked him upside the head. "Haruhi's pregnant, remember?"
There was a sudden loud noise from the front door.
"Oh crap," Haruhi muttered as she frantically scrambled to her feet.
"What is it?" everyone asked.
"Dad's home."
--
The crash most likely came from Ranka's suitcase, which had snapped open in his hands, sending the contents pell-mell on the floor.
Ranka himself looked exactly like he did on that unforgettable moment when he had walked inside his home, only to find his daughter pinned to the ground by Tamaki. In other words; his eyes were glassy and he was rooted to the spot with the ghost of what could have been a "Haruhi, I'm home!" still painted on his face.
Haruhi acted as if she hadn't noticed this peculiar behavior and greeted him warmly then placed her hands on her hips and sighed.
"Dad! You've just arrived and I have to clean up a mess already."
Ranka unfroze and beamed at her. "Clumsy me! But never mind it for now. You didn't tell me we had guests!" He walked over to where the Host Club was seated. "Boys! I wasn't expecting you!"
"We came over to welcome you, Ranka-san," Kyoya said suavely. "And we've been coming here at intervals to check on Haruhi while you were gone. I hope that's alright with you."
The others murmured the same things.
"Oh, don't worry!" came the reply. "I trust you. Most of you, anyway," He shot a pointed look at Tamaki, who cringed and fell to his corner of woe.
Meanwhile, Haruhi had picked up all the fallen clothes and items and placed them in her father's room, wondering to herself all the while. How much did he hear? She emerged from the room and took her place beside Ranka.
"So dad, how was the trip?" she asked casually.
"Everything was just peachy," he replied, still smiling. "I had a grand time… until I got home, that is."
"Uh, why is that?"
Ranka gave her a serious expression which quickly morphed into a cheerful one.
"Because I realized that I'm starving! But I see that you've already prepared some onigiri! Daddy is so lucky to have a daughter like my Haruhi!"
Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed one of the biggest rice balls and devoured it in the same manner that Tamaki had done earlier.
The effect was instantaneous.
--
After much gagging, choking, retching, running around, and a pitcher of water, Ranka's mouth was soothed enough to be able to talk. But he kept quiet, just staring down each and every member of the Host Club as if sizing them up. After a long and uncomfortable silence, he spoke.
"Well, enough dillydallying, Haruhi. Tell me who it is. It couldn't have been Mitsukuni," he began. "Much too small and cutesy for your type. No offense, dear," he said to Honey.
"None…taken?" the boy replied, unsure about that particular statement.
Ranka went on. "Mori's not it, either. He's too silent for your type, Haruhi. He'd never make the cut. Again, no offense meant."
Mori just smiled uncertainly.
"I do hope it's Kyoya!" Ranka exclaimed, nodding his head in an approving sort of way. "Good-looking and—if you don't mind me saying—wealthy both financially and mentally! But of course, I'm guessing he wouldn't appeal to you either. I couldn't be sure. You're a very hard person to read, Haruhi…"
"What are you talking about?"
Her father kept on going. "The twins? I'd be surprised if it were them… Much, much, surprised. Then again, could it be…"
Ranka's eyes traveled swiftly over to where Tamaki was, and in one fluid movement, he was grinding the boy's head on the floor with his foot.
"Sir—" Tamaki choked.
But there was no reasoning with Ranka now. The man's eyes were on fire.
"You're the only person in this room with enough stupidity in your system to touch my daughter! HOW DO YOU WISH TO DIE?!"
"Dad, please!" Haruhi cried, pulling him off the suffocating boy. "Stop it!"
Ranka was literally clawing at every inch of Tamaki he could reach, and it took every person in the room to subdue him. Even then, he was still seething like a maddened bull.
Haruhi kept her arms around him. "Dad! It's not Tamaki-senpai!"
It amazed everyone at how easily Ranka calmed down after she said that. If they had blinked, they would have missed it.
"Oh? Then who is it, dear?"
"One of the twins," she replied without hesitation.
Hikaru and Kaoru braced themselves as Ranka turned to look at them.
The older twin instinctively stepped in front of his younger brother, but it turned out that there was no need for that. Ranka just sank back down. "Which one?"
"Honestly dad, I wish I knew," Haruhi replied, sitting down with her hands still on her father's shoulders.
"You," he said disappointedly to Hikaru. "I never would have thought you could do this to my daughter! I had taken quite a liking to you…"
"We're sorry to have broken your trust, sir," the boy replied meekly. "But we promise we'll take full responsibility for Haruhi."
And the twins began to explain. Ranka had a frown on the whole time.
"We've already talked to our mother regarding this matter," Kaoru added, stepping out from behind Hikaru. "She's agreed wholeheartedly to help."
"Dad," Haruhi said before Ranka could reply. "It's our fault, we know. Get mad at me all you want. But I just want you to know that I'm not scared, and I'm not going to look back at this one day and regret it. I'm going to have this kid."
Ranka only blinked. "Well then, I guess we have no problem!" he said, back to his sunny disposition from earlier.
Tamaki's jaw dropped (he still seemed to have all his bodily parts intact; only his dignity was missing). "Why is Ranka-san alright with those shady twins and not with me?" he whimpered to Kyoya.
The bespectacled boy shrugged. "Perhaps he just really despises you, Tamaki."
"I'm still missing something, though," Haruhi said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "How did you know I was pregnant, dad? Did you overhear us from earlier?"
Ranka just winked.
--
The boys left early, apparently not wanting to be subject to any of Ranka's mood swings—they had proved to be worse than his daughter's.
Haruhi had gone to bed almost as soon as the Host Club left. She was still confused about her father's odd reaction, and the entire day pretty much wore her out.
Ranka kissed his sleeping daughter's forehead before heading over to the mini shrine. He knelt and took up the beloved picture of his wife.
"Kyoko… Our daughter is pregnant! I wish you were here. I don't know what to do. Should I murder the Hitachiins for doing this to our little girl?" He chuckled a little. "But then again, Haruhi never was a little girl, was she? She grew up too fast since you left, and she's turned out to be just like you. That's why I'm not that worried. I know she'll handle this fine. I guess there's nothing left for me to do but be there for her every step of the way. Of course, you'll be watching over her too, right?"
He sighed, his eyes wandering around the dark room. They found the cold onigiri, still on the table, and he laughed lightly.
"Truth be told, I didn't overhear a thing earlier. I knew Haruhi was pregnant the moment I ate that rice ball. She made it exactly the way you did when you were pregnant with her."
A/N: Alright, say all you want, but I wasn't going to let Ranka murder the precious twins. So I let him take his anger out on Tamaki instead. hey, Tamaki didn't die, right? :P Yes, I'm pretty evil. Sorry about that.
Sooooo... the parents know! Yay! One hurdle down, a ton more to go. You guys still remember Haruhi's big decision, don't you? Then there's still the teenage pregnancy drama and the question in the story title.
Hold on for all of that! ^^
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