Step #15

First Of All, Stop Worrying

...\~/...

September 10th, 9:36 A.M.:

If Kyoya Ootori were to write a book, it would definitely be about the many ways to handle Tara and her nervous breakdowns. Now, she was already overly aggressive when she was calm and had the habit of resorting to violence before settling on diplomatic matters, but when she having a breakdown, her normal behavior was like on fast forward. He would title that book 'How To Deal With Tara Marie Alexander When She's Insane and How To Handle Her With Care'. The title was a work in progress, but it was temporary, yet straight-forward. His book would contain symptoms of Tara's breakdown and how to deal with them. Here are the five that would be the most highlighted:

1. Tara tends to talk a mile a minute. Listen to her and be on guard at all times.

"He got me up at three in the morning, in a panic, saying 'Tara, I don't have a date plan! Every date plan I have has a bad case scenario that consists of Ripley dying or being bed-ridden for the rest of her life! What do I do?! What do I do?! I don't have a dinner plan! I can't even cook! What if she finds culinary men hot?! She's going to find me ugly if she does because I CAN'T COOK! You need to come over and help me clean and rid my apartment of anything that makes it look like a rich person doesn't live here!' to which I replied, 'Hikaru, she knows that you're rich, so don't worry. She's completely and totally fine with it. Calm down.' Kyoya, he didn't calm down; he continued to shout in my ear about things he needed to get done!"

"You didn't answer my question."

"What was it again?"

"Why do you smell like vomit?"

"Oh! This is the zinger of the story. So, I go over there, right? He opens the door and I immediately see that his face looks green. 'Hey Hikaru, you look like you're about to puke.' Bad idea to say that, Kyoya, fuckin' bad idea! Because he says, 'I'm about to...' and he does! He pukes right on my shoes! Kyoya, look at my shoes! Don't ignore me! Look at them! These are Prada; not only are they Prada, but they're new Prada. I just got these! So, my first reaction is to not comfort him and tell him everything's going to be okay; no, my initial reaction is to punch him in the face! Now Hikaru has a shiner and Ripley is going to come over and think I'm an abusive bitch!"

2. When Tara says she has a gut instinct, believe her because she's usually right.

"Kyoya! I'm nervous! There's this little voice in my head that's telling me to not have Hikaru and Ripley meet, to sabotage their meet. My gut has been twisting and churning and knotting all morning! You want to know why? Nod your head, Kyoya... NOD YOUR HEAD, RIGHT NOW! I was going through his filing cabinet with all his pictures and I found this!"

Tara tapped a manila folder that was stuffed with Hikaru's pictures. "I found his 'dream girlfriend' assignment! This is bad because it's a mixture between Haruhi and Ripley, but this isn't how Ripley looks like! We both know that! And Hikaru's a shallow bastard! Like yo- I was going to say 'like you' but then again, you're not shallow. A bastard, yes, but not shallow. I mean you wouldn't be dating me if you were..."

"Get on with your story, love."

"Right! It's just that when Hikaru doesn't like someone, he tends to let them know! And I don't want that to happen when they meet! My gut, Kyoya, my gut! I need to obey it!"

3. Tara tends to throw in confusing analogies in her long, nervous lectures. Ignore them, but nod occasionally.

"He asked me to ask breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert for them! What am I supposed to cook?! Ripley's probably not used to fine cuisine! Do you know when the last time I've actually stopped at a hot dog stand and got a Chicago-style hot dog was?! Before I met you! If it wasn't for your fine palette, we would be having macaroni with chopped up hot dogs in them! You ass, you make me miss my childhood! You can't just take a person like Ripley, who doesn't eat fancy cuisine on a daily basis, and plop them in front of legit Italian! That's like taking a beginner cyclist with training wheels and shoving them off a cliff to see if they live or not! I can't do this! This is too much pressure! I've cooked for you and those nasty-ass people you call friends and celebrities and lords and every other bastard with fancy fuckin' pants without the blink of an eye! All you have to do is make food like pretty and they think it's high quality!"

4. Common insults are as following:

"Dumbass!"

"Fuckwad!"

"Asshole!"

"Bastard!"

"...*insert degrading title here*..."

5. Hand her a cup of coffee. She'll calm down.

Kyoya held out a thermos of black coffee.

Tara took it graciously.

"Thanks. I need this."

...\~/...

Hikaru immediately answered his phone, the vibration from it startling him out of his thoughts. He hoped it was Ripley calling in to tell him where she was. Since she wasn't the only student coming to New York City's Art Institute, they all took a bus to cut all costs. The last time she had called, they had stopped at a hotel for the night. Hikaru couldn't help but blush when he remembered Ripley's teasing voice, telling him that she should stay with him for the week. He had agreed in an instant. Thankfully, Kaoru was also staying here, so he would reduce any embarrassment or tension between him and Ripley. Just the thought of having Ripley staying with him set his body on fire.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hikaru, this is Haruhi. I wasn't sure if you had my cell phone number."

"Oh, uh, n-no I d-don't. Thanks…" Why did he have to start every conversation sounding like a stuttering fool?

"I just wanted to tell you that we'll be there in a few hours. Our flights got switched to a later time. We should be in New York by four o'clock."

"Ripley said she was going to get here around four, too."

"Hikaru, I'm glad that you two are going to meet. It'll be good for you."

He couldn't decide what he was more excited about: finally getting to meet Ripley or reuniting with Haruhi after two, long years.

"I have to get off now. We're about to board the plane. See you in a few hours."

"Yeah, see ya later." Click.

His heart was racing, palms clammy from sweat. He didn't know whether to be glad or bothered by the fact that Haruhi could still make him feel this way. No, he had to be bothered by it. Here he was, about to meet a woman who had the potential to be his lover, and he was still in love with a woman he couldn't have. Since August 30th, he had figured out a lot about himself on his own that he had been scared to admit since the day he met Ripley. He wasn't afraid to admit that he was pathetic for not moving on anymore. In fact, he embraced that about himself, and he aimed to change that. Today was about meeting Ripley, not Haruhi. Hikaru sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He half-wished Ripley wouldn't come. He didn't want her to see him like this. Hikaru had looked in the mirror earlier, noting how tired he appeared. Dark bags hung under his eyes, his golden eyes looking lifeless, and his skin was pale and damp with sweat. Since Ripley's announcement, his mind hadn't let him get a proper night's sleep, thoughts and ideas keeping him awake.

"Hikaru, maybe you should get some more sleep." a voice said from the door.

Hikaru looked up to see Kaoru standing there, hand still pressed against the kitchen door from opening it, a smile gracing his face. The younger twin approached the older, sitting opposite him at the kitchen island. Unlike Hikaru, Kaoru looked lively, eyes shining with excitement, body not sagging from fatigue.

"No, I'm fine. I just can't believe I'm actually going to meet Ripley."

"I can't wait. Just don't screw it up."

"What a great thing to say to your already nervous brother. I have to thank you for that."

"Any time, brother!"

Hikaru couldn't believe it had been nine months since he applied for Red Hue. Nine months of forming a close relationship with another woman. Nine months of depending on her to pick him back up when he felt like the world was too much for him. Nine months of having her listen when no one else would. Hikaru smiled when he compared his present self to his pre-Ripley self nine months ago. He remembered how he just wanted to give up, but then she had sent him a message. Then, he just had to read it and reply, leading him wanting to find out how she would respond. Hikaru could remember their first conversation about their different views on chemistry and their five questions to each other. Those messages gave him a reason to keep going; he couldn't give up just yet. Then, there was their first phone call. Their long conversations calmed him down, distracting him from all the wicked thoughts he had whirling around in his mind. Her voice soothed him, calming him down in a way no one else could.

He was addicted to her.

Those three months that she hadn't talked to him, his life had begun to revert back to the way it once was: lonely, miserable, and cold. He was scared to death of his old self and all the thoughts he used to have. Ripley had helped him escape that life and he wanted her to be with him always now.

"Tara called me and told me that the café is going to hold a welcoming party for Ripley." Kaoru said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, they're almost as excited as us."

Everyone wanted to meet her. They all remembered the hardships he had gone through before and were amazed that one woman could change him for the better. Ripley was sometimes the only thing he would talk about, everyone listening to him ramble on and on about her. He'd have to thank them all later.

"Tara's frustrated, though. She doesn't know what the cook for Ripley. She kept on saying something about how she couldn't throw a simple woman like Ripley into fine cuisine. I don't know what she means, but whatever. What's Ripley's favorite food?"

"Chicken alfredo."

"Tell Tara that."

There was a knock at the front door and Kaoru rushed out to get it. A moment later, the kitchen door burst open, revealing a very enthusiastic Hunny, a stoic Mori, and a very pregnant Reiko, who had her hands clasped over her bulging stomach. Sometimes, Hikaru still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that she and Hunny were going to have kids. Ugh…it made him shudder just thinking about what they had to do…

"No, Momo, I'm in New York right now. What?! Tell that old hag to settle down or… I'm hanging up now. Buh-bye."

Hikaru watched as Mei Yasumura walked in, looking glamorous as always, though he couldn't help but cringe at all the make-up she was wearing. After all these years, she was still a keba. You would think that a world famous fashion designer would learn some proper make-up techniques. Behind Mei, a flash of red caught Hikaru's eye, and Ritsu Kasanoda himself came lumbering in, lugging around at least a dozen bags. His face was as red as his hair from the work he had done. Kasanoda gave a sigh when he set the bags down, panting slightly from struggling with all the luggage.

"Why'd you bring your luggage up here? You're not staying here." Hikaru said, cheek rested in his palm.

Between pants, Kasanoda replied, "These are clothes for your friend. Mei wanted her to have them."

Mei added after snapping her phone shut, "Haruhi refuses to model for me, so I thought your girlfriend could. Give her a little taste into the world of fashion, especially since her future brother-in-law is a famous fashion designer." Mei lifted her sunglasses up, smirking, "How are you Hikaru?" she asked.

"Good. Glad to see you're still using insane amounts of that tacky make-up." he replied back, a smirk of his own forming on his lips. "Those fake eyelashes look even faker."

"And what about the bags under your eyes…hideous…" Mei retorted with a snort. She then snapped her head towards Kasanoda, "Red, are those all the bags? Why are you still sitting there?! There's at least four more!"

"Mei…I need a break…"

"No! Ugh, never ask a man to do a woman's job." Mei muttered, heels clacking as she walked out the apartment door. Kasanoda bowed deeply towards everyone before hurrying after his girlfriend. Hikaru could remember the time he and Kaoru forced the two to bump into one another. Mei, at the time, was a budding fashion designer, and Kasanoda, who was studying business, was a the first poor schlub that Mei could get her hands on since no one would model for her. One thing led to another and the two ended up as a very odd, yet unique couple.

Kaoru turned to him, smiling, "Almost everyone's here. All we need are three more people."

Hikaru gave a soft smile in return, "Yeah…"

He couldn't ignore the fast pace of his heart.

…\~/…

"Kaoru, does this look expensive to you?" Hikaru asked, staring at the large wall map Mori had gotten him so long ago for Christmas. Kaoru stepped up beside him, tilting his head. "Mori-senpai said something about getting it from his trip in India. Maybe I should take it down; it looks expensive."

"No, it makes you look scholarly."

Hikaru stared at the map, cupping his chin. "Nope, not working for me. Help me take it down."

"Why?! Doesn't Ripley like intelligent men?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't want to make her feel stupid."

"Way to be condescending…"

"I mean…! Gah! I can't do this!"

Hikaru slumped down to the floor, holding his head in his hands. Kaoru slid down the wall beside him, staring worriedly at his brother. "What can't you do, Hikaru?" This in itself was a stupid question; he knew exactly what his brother was feeling at the moment. Hikaru had always had an overactive imagination, usually a very pessimistic one. He was worried about how his week with Ripley would be and whether or not he would say something degrading and leave Ripley feeling offended. Kaoru grabbed Hikaru's hand, intertwining their fingers. The older twin's hands were sweaty and gross, something he hoped Ripley wouldn't mind if she and Hikaru held hands at all during this week. Great, now he was starting to worry as well.

"I can't meet her right now. I'm a disaster."

"Hikaru, no you're not. You're just being dramatic. You're just fine. You have me now and I can patch you up before she gets here, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't care if you have bags under your eyes or if your hair wasn't in place. I feel like Ripley just wants to spend time with you."

Hikaru rested his head on Kaoru's shoulder. "Want to take my place?"

"And risk Ripley falling in love with a sweetie like me and not a sourpuss like you? No thanks."

"Go ahead. I'll probably say something stupid and she'll run to you anyway."

"I highly doubt that."

"Watch me."

…\~/…

Hunny's legs swung backward and forward as he clung to his stuffed bunny. He watched in interest as Mori threw anything that looked expensive into a box. That was Hikaru's orders to him. Something about not wanting Ripley to feel poor while she stood in his apartment. Hunny fiddled with Usa-chan's ears, flipping them back and forth. He wished Hikaru wouldn't fret, it was unhealthy for him. Hunny frowned, looking over at his wife, who was sitting on the couch, dozing off. She was sleeping more and more now that her due date was getting closer and closer.

"Takashi, do you think Hikaru loves Ripley?"

"Yes."

"Do you think she loves him?"

"Yes."

"I mean, we've called her a few times, but she never answered our questions when we asked her if she did or not."

"She does love him." Mori replied simply, setting China plates carefully in a box.

Hunny smiled softly, "I think she does too."

He heard rustling to his side and he looked over to see if Reiko was awake. She was; her dark eyes boring right into his light ones. He found it funny how opposite they were, but they got along just fine. He loved the way she would use her "curses" to make him fall in love with her or ask him to do cutesy things with her. And she had become a great baker, paying for classes in cooking just so she could make him sweets. Of course he had embraced her dark side a little, knowing the differences between many cult items, and learned to ignore all her creepy antiques so she could be comfortable at home. Now, they were going to be parents, the first out of all the Host Club members. Sometimes, he couldn't even believe it.

"Mitsukuni, do you want me to put a curse on Hikaru, so that his date goes well?"

"Sure, Reiko-chan, anything that'll make his date a success would be appreciated." Hunny turned to Mori, "Takashi, when are you going to find someone? You're the only one who doesn't have a special someone."

Mori grunted in response, dusting off shelves.

"Have you looked at all?"

Another grunt.

"I'm sure she'll be really pretty!"

The door to the apartment opened, Tara stomping in with a calm Kyoya trailing behind her. The blonde stopped right in front of Hunny, turning towards him. "Mitsukuni, I want you to karate chop Hikaru into the oblivion so he can never meet Ripley."

Hunny jumped from his chair, hugging Usa-chan tightly. "I can't do that!"

"Whatever."

Hunny turned to Kyoya, "Kyo-chan, what is she talking about?"

"She thinks that Hikaru will say something rude towards Miss Barrett, causing them to fall apart. Unfortunately, I believe the same. Hopefully Hikaru has matured enough that he can keep his tongue."

Tara frowned, crossing her arms. "Remember that Sarah girl from across the hall?"

"Yes, I do." Kyoya sighed, "Well, we can only let the events unfold. What happens will happen. However, I'm more concerned about Haruhi being here."

"Do you think Hikaru will want to spend more time with Haru-chan than Rip-chan?" Hunny questioned.

"If that happens, I'll kick his ass." Tara muttered.

"Of course, who isn't at the moment?" Kyoya answered. "He still is in love with her, is he not?"

Hunny cast his eyes down, "I hope that doesn't happen."

"It might, it might not. I'm sure Tamaki will occupy most her time by showing her New York, so Hikaru will have to spend time with Ripley. I'm still concerned about her being here, though. Oh, and we'll have to make sure that Tamaki doesn't try and sabotage Hikaru and Miss Barrett's date."

"No, let him!"

"My love," Kyoya said, looking over at Tara. "Be quiet. The adults are talking."

"Fuck you."

"Hm, I bet you would."

Tara mumbled something inaudible, a thick blush spreading across her face.

The apartment was quiet, except for the hushed conversation between Hunny and Kyoya and the occasional mumbles between Tara and Mori, who were finishing up the ridding of wealthy objects in Hikaru's apartment. Reiko sat on the couch, silently watching everyone, hands clasped over her stomach.

Kyoya paused in his conversation to take his phone of his pocket when it dinged.

"Who is it, Kyo-chan?"

The black-haired man sighed, clapping his hands together.

"Alright, everyone, if you have any earplugs on hand, I would advise you to apply them now."

The door burst open and there a shrill, "Mon ami!" A heavy weight attached itself to Kyoya's back. "I have missed you so much! Where's Hikaru?! Where's his beautiful lover?! Oh, have they already eloped? I bet they have! Oh wait, no, they can't have eloped yet! I haven't met her. Kyoya, bring them back!"

"Tamaki, would you please settle down. To answer your question: No, they haven't. Hikaru's over at the café checking on preparations. He'll be back in a few minutes, according to his last text."

Before Tamaki could answer, a voice behind him said, "Tamaki, you left me behind."

The enthusiastic blonde bounced over to a bent over Haruhi, who was busy catching her breath. "Oh, I'm sorry, Haruhi! I just got excited!"

"I know. So troublesome…" Haruhi straightened, looking around the room. "Hello senpais, Reiko." she greeted with a nod. Everyone greeted her back, except for Tara, whose eyes narrowed slightly. Hunny hopped over, grabbing Haruhi's hand. "Haru-chan, you look so cute today! Are you excited about meeting Hikaru's girlfriend?!"

"Uh, yeah, I am. He's told me about her."

"She's super nice! I talked to her over the phone and everything! So did Takashi! Didn't you, Takashi?"

A nod as a response.

Tamaki gasped, "You talked to her?!"

"We all did." everyone answered.

"I didn't know you could do that!"

The apartment door squeaked open and footsteps stopped.

"Haruhi?"

She turned.

"Hikaru?"

…\~/…

Hikaru was silent as everyone around his chattered. His legs bounced up and down, his nails digging into his palms. It was almost four-thirty. Ripley had said something about coming around four, so he expected that she would be here at any moment. His stomach was doing somersaults and no matter what he did, the nausea was still with him. His apartment was crowded with people: Kyoya and Tara, Hunny, Mori, and Reiko, Mei and Kasanoda, and then there was Tamaki and Haruhi.

Haruhi…

She was so beautiful. Her long hair was pulled back in a clip and her doe eyes were shining. He could tell how happy she was being around everyone again. It had been a full two years since the Host Club was together like this. And it was all because of Ripley. Hikaru watched as Kaoru gesticulated wildly as he told a story to everyone, the others laughing and smiling at it. The coffee table was decorated with snacks and drinks, little bits here and there missing. But Hikaru couldn't concentrate on anyone but Haruhi at the moment.

"…your phone…" Kaoru said, staring at Hikaru.

"What?" Hikaru asked, shaking his head of all thoughts.

"Hikaru, your phone."

"O-oh, yeah!"

Ripley…

"Hey, where are you?" he asked into it when he answered. Everyone in the apartment was silent. Kind of nerve-wracking…

"Your apartment is number 32, right?"

"Yeah…" His voice was shaking. Did this mean…?

"I'm down here and…Renee, stop being grabby…and I was wondering if you could come get me."

He was the out the door and down the stairs faster than a New York minute.

He was outside, taking immediate notice of two women, one holding her phone out of reach of the other, slapping each other's hands away. When he cleared his throat, they froze, looking up at him.

"Hikaru…?" the shorter of the two asked.

"Ripley…?" he answered.

"Renee…?" the taller of the two asked, arching an eyebrow.

Okay, so this is the shortest chapter yet. A whomping 4,000 words. Kind of lousy, but I wanted to get this chapter out the way. And I know that you're thinking: TWO CLIFFHANGERS IN A ROW?! I am evil... :D Muhahahahahaha. Well, anyway, the next chapter will definitely be Hikaley, but will it be good or bad Hikaley? And Renée just popped up out of nowhere. I had no intentions of having her in New York, but she kind of snuck in. Sneaky Renée...

Question: I don't know if I've asked this, but which one of my OCs do you like the best?

Author's Note - Fin