08.06.11

SEPARATION ANXIETY AND MORE MISUNDERSTANDINGS

When we last left my little story, all six of the guys had been arrested for fighting with a group of off-duty cops; my father decided to come home for an unannounced visit on the exact same day my grandparents chose to do the same; I'd managed to get myself in a position to bail them out of jail, only to find that I didn't have enough for all of them, and now all my efforts to fix this and get them home without raising suspicions have been rendered completely worthless.

I suppose I had no one to blame but myself for not keeping track of time. The whole idea was risky from the start, and here I go being reckless and throwing caution to the wind the one time I need to keep it as close to me as humanly possible.

As my dad's heel dug into Tamaki's skull, I desperately racked my brain for something to say or do that might calm him down (while simultaneously thanking God he wasn't wearing stilettos today). The only thing coming out of my mouth at the moment was a low hissing, and that wasn't helping anything. I also had to wonder why Tamaki hadn't pushed my dad off yet. Surely he could have if he wanted to, and yet he lay there unmoving save for a twitch here and there. For one terrible second, I was convinced dad's attack had messed up his circuitry or something. Then I remembered all the abuse I'd seen the androids take in the time since I'd known them and realized he was stronger than I was giving him credit for. Of course, I was the only one who knew that, which is probably why Grandma looked ready to smack my dad with her handbag as she stomped over to him.

"Goodness, Ranka, get off the boy before he ends up hurt!" she shouted. I was suddenly reminded of my early childhood, being scolded when I broke her ceramic cookie jar in my quest for a snack. I shivered involuntarily.

Dad glared at her, but it was half-hearted and forced. He was just as intimidated by that 'strict mother' look as I'd always been. Still, he didn't let up his hold.

"Why should I?" he argued. "Didn't you see this little punk with his arms wrapped around my precious daughter? I've never seen him before in my life! What right does he have?"

"Well, obviously, he's a friend of Haruhi," Grandma answer, crossing her arms over her chest. "Or do you really think she'd let just anyone do that."

It was a statement, rather than a question. I felt a rush of gratitude towards the old woman, smiling at her in spite of myself. She paid it no heed and continued staring dad down. I, Grandpa and Hunny watched with baited breath to see how he would respond, be it with words or more violence towards Tamaki's head. I opened my mouth to say something, but it proved unnecessary as dad let out an irritated growl and lifted his foot. Barely a second passed before Tamaki was back on his feet. He moved his head from side to side, stretching out his neck experimentally. Otherwise, he was grinning cheerfully as if nothing had happened, and grasped my father's hand to shake, much to the latter's befuddlement.

"Hello, so you're Haruhi's father, right?" he asked conversationally. "My name is Tamaki, it's a pleasure to meet you. I had no idea you were a cross dresser. I must say, I almost mistook you for her mother. You are very beautiful."

The surprise must have worn off them, as Dad's eyes narrowed dangerously and he jerked his hand away. He leaned in so close, the tips of his and Tamaki's noses were almost touching. I can't really describe the look on his face aside from that it looked suspiciously like Dad was trying to make Tamaki's head explode psychokinetically. Just take my word for it.

"Don't you try to butter me up," he spat. "You're not of the hook yet. Now tell me what you are to my daughter?"

My stomach dropped like a brick. That question. Of all the things my dad could have said, all the question he could have asked and he had to pick that one. Because really, no answer Tamaki could give would make this any better. If he said he was my lover, Dad would kill him. No ifs, ans or buts about it. If he went with the cousin story, Dad would no right away that he was lying and he'd probe me for the answer until I had no choice but to spill the beans.

Needless to say, I was not about to let either of those things happen. I had broken into a run and was a half step away from dive-tackling Tamaki before even a syllable could pass through his throat. My own emitted a funny sound that, while not actually meaning anything, did put all the attention on me (except for Hikaru, who was still sulking next to the wall).

"Dad, I-" I said without thinking. "I… I can explain all of this."

Dad glanced back and forth between me and Tamaki several times, one eyebrow going slowly up to his hairline.

"Oh really?"

I swallowed and gave a nod. My toes were curling tight in the confines of my shoes. I fought the urge to look away from his penetrating gaze and instead focused on making up a good story. I would have had Tamaki spin another of his yarns, but the time where that was an option had passed. In fact, I had just ruined our chances with that by pinning everything on myself. When that thought hit me, the look on my face must not have been a nice one, as Dad's own expression softened.

"Haruhi?" he said gently, likely an attempt to put me at ease. It didn't help much, but it was a nice gesture all things considered.

I kept my head level, sweat pouring down my cheeks from the strain of trying not to look away from his hard, expectant gaze.

"They…" I started, my mouth going dry, like whatever was clouding my mind also decided to attack my speech capabilities. As I struggled, something moved out the corner of my eye, a yellow-ish something I quickly identified as Hunny's head.

Hunny…

The thought struck like a lightning bolt, that brought reality crashing back down around me. I reached over without looking, grabbing Hunny by the shoulder and pulling him close. He didn't complain.

"Dad, everyone, this is Mitsukuni," I introduced him with a smile. "But we call him Hunny. He's a boy that I've been babysitting and by chance, he happened to be taking a walk with… his brother."

I motioned at Tamaki, very thankful for the similar hair color which was pretty much the only thing they had in common where physical features were concerned. Luckily, no one brought this up, and they were even less inclined to suspect anything when Tamaki, taking the hint, ran over and gathered Hunny into his arms.

"Oh yes," he said. "Haruhi has been a wonderful babysitter, taking such good care of my darling little brother."

"She gives me lots of cake and lets me stay up late!" Hunny joined in.

He gave a laugh, smiling in that overly cutesy way of his, and I could just see Dad and Grandma's hearts melting. It was beyond a relief, knowing that they hadn't seen through the lie. I was making a note to let Tamaki and Hunny have first dibs on the remote for the next few days as a reward, when a warm hand touched my shoulder. Turning, I found my frowning Grandpa gesturing at the corner.

"That's all well and good," he said. "But what about your other friend, what's up with him?"

I blinked, going momentarily dumb before remembering that there was one other person here whose presence I hadn't explained. That said person was digging his head into a brick wall and scratching at the cement like a caged animal was not helping. My stomach dropped fast and hard, and of course Grandpa had spoken loud so that everyone could here him. Now Dad and Grandma had gone from fawning over Hunny's cuteness (in between glaring at Tamaki in the former's case), to watching me again, expectant of an answer. At least now I was calmer and could think straight. If I could just get through my family, I could deal with Hikaru afterwards.

"He's a friend of Tamaki's," I explained, the words rolling of my tongue with an ease that made me wonder if Tamaki was rubbing off on me. "They were taking a walk together and I saw them on my way back from the bathroom. I went out to say hi and we got to talking. I guess I just lost track of time."

I bowed low, making my truly apologetic feelings as clear as possible. Tamaki did the same, which prompted Hunny as well. It was all a very submissive scene that I hoped would be enough.

"Oh no, no need for that," Grandma said, gesturing for us to stand straight. "Of course you can talk to your friends, we would never want to impose. Especially when they're so handsome. You have excellent taste in men, Haruhi."

That last part made my calm relief vanish, my face turn bright red, make me feel like a boulder had been dropped on my head, and want to get as far away from all of these people as soon as possible. All in the scope of one second.

"Okay, thank you," I said forcefully before Grandma could open her mouth again. "I just need to go and talk to Hikaru over there. We uh… we need to discuss school work."

"Aren't you still on vacation?" Grandpa asked.

"It's our summer homework," I answered quickly. "He needs help with a research paper. It's making him really nervous, so I'm just going to go and talk to him. You guys can wait for me here and I'll be right back."

My rambling cut off there. I'd been slowly edging ever since starting on that, and now I'd finally gotten myself to turn around and half-walk, half-run towards the crumpled, miserable form of Hikaru. Skidding to a halt directly in front of him, I snapped my fingers bare centimeters away from his nose. He didn't react at all.

"Hey," I called out. "Hey, Hikaru, come on. Talk to me."

He glanced up, still panting hard. A funny noise issued from his throat, something I don't think could properly classified as human. I'd quicker compare it to an engine failing to start. Whatever it was, it wasn't what I wanted to hear.

"What is wrong with you?" I hissed, suddenly aware that we might not be far away enough that no one could hear us. "You cannot possibly need Kaoru around this much!"

Hikaru looked away, as if ashamed. That's when I noticed how badly he was shaking, and I became nervous that something might be seriously wrong with his circuitry. I had to do something to make him relax, and fast. Reaching forward, I gripped him tight by the shoulders, forcing him to look again at me.

"Listen," I said. "I know that you and Kaoru are close, I know that's how you were built, but you can survive without him for a little while."

He said nothing, and so I kept going.

"You may come as a one package, but your two separate people. You don't have to have him around to think for yourself. I promise you, we will get Kaoru and the others out as soon as possible, but until then, please try and stay calm."

As a spoke, his shivering came to a slow halt. Now slumped over and unmoving, I was at first afraid that my sorry attempt at a pep talk had done him no good. Maybe it even harmed him more.

He took a deep, shaking breath that I believe was more needed than ever before. Hikaru lifted his head, dull eyed and mouth ajar. He pursed his lips together, tensing as if preparing for something huge. Then, right before my very eyes, Hikaru opened his mouth.

And nothing came out.

I waited in vain, watching him close it and open it again. Each time, he seemed determined to say something, alone and of his own individual will for the first time since I had met him. All I could figure from the fluctuation of his pupils was that he'd be overcome by fear at the last millisecond every single time, leaving him unable to do more than gape at me hopelessly.

It wasn't a happy sight, but I still felt it was a step in the right direction. At least he wasn't acting like a deranged mental patient anymore. Taking his hand, I motioned at the waiting group.

"Come with me," I said. "You need to meet my family."

He nodded, a dark gloom overtaking him. I was forced to ignore it for the time being as more pressing matter were at hand, like trying to properly introduce Hikaru and explain why he wouldn't talk to anyone.

"This is my friend, Hikaru," I said, patting him on the shoulder. "He was out for a walk with Tamaki and Hunny. He's also a little shy around strangers."

I whispered the last part despite the huge lack of necessity for it. Everyone easily bought it, with Grandpa and Grandma greeting him as gently as they could and merely smiling politely when he said nothing in return. I eyed my Dad, who didn't look any less on guard than he had before I walked away. To my growing lack of surprise, his hateful stare was focus on an oblivious Tamaki.

"Dad, he was just saying hello to me," I struggled to explain. "He's… he's very affectionate."

"Not with my daughter, he shouldn't be," Dad muttered with a hard edge to voice, a very uncommon occurrence I might add. "If that boy is going to hang around you, he needs to learn his place."

'Which if you had your way would be a thousand miles away from me,' was my thought. I might have said it aloud too; Dad would be too busy being irrationally angry to catch my meaning and everyone else wasn't listening anyway.

"Alright, this was very nice," Grandpa spoke loud to get everyone's attention. "It's nice to know Haruhi has such good friends, but I need to eat and soon."

I don't think I was ever more grateful to my grandfather as I was right then. I could've cheered, my relief was so great. Sure, there was still the problem of getting Kyoya, Mori and Kaoru out (the latter was probably having as massive a breakdown as Hikaru was), but at least now I can send the guys home and figure out some damage control in relative peace.

"Why don't you fine gentlemen come and join us?" asked Grandma.

You're noticing the pattern here, right? Something seems to be going my way and I'm lead to believe that nothing can go wrong from here… and then something goes horribly, horribly, horribly wrong.

How many times has this happened now? You know what, don't answer that. I don't know and quite frankly, I don't want to. Let's just say 'a lot' and be done with it.

"We'd love to," answered the ever helpful Tamaki. "Wouldn't we, little brother?"

"NO!"

Everyone stared at me, and that's when I realized that it had been me who just said that and not just some idiot who sounds exactly like me. I also realized that I'd moved, one foot sticking out in the air, my arms outstretched as if to grab something. I retook a normal position before I could lose my balance and coughed.

"I just… I know you three have important things to take care of," 'Like getting home and out of sight.' "I wouldn't want to distract you."

"They seemed to have enough time to shoot the breeze for the whole twenty minutes before we came looking for you," Grandpa said with a sniff.

"Yes," I intoned. "They've spent a lot of their valuable time talking to me, so now they have to be on their way, and-"

"Oh, Haruhi, don't be so rude," Grandma scolded. "You haven't even let the dear boys talk. Is that any way to treat your friends or your boyfriend?"

"Grandma, all I'm saying is that they are very busy. Plus, it's almost Hunny's bedtime- what did you say?"

Grandma blinked, a picture of innocent confusion even as I was having an inward pre-breakdown over what she had said. Specifically the last part, and though I didn't know it at the time, I wasn't the only one dreading her eventual elaboration on what she meant.

"What about, dear?" she asked predictably.

"About… you know," I took a second to swallow, a strange sort of calm coming over me. "What you said about my- boyfriend?"

At this, Grandma's blink face lit up with understanding. She gave a nod and gestured at the redheaded android leaning heavily against a lamppost, opening and closing his mouth again and again like a hungry goldfish.

"I just figured, since you wanted to be alone with that boy before that you were dating," she said. "His name is Hikaru, was it? He seems very shy and withdrawn. I'll be honest, that sort of thing has always been suspicious to me. However, you're a smart girl, Haruhi. I know you wouldn't have just anyone as your beau. I'll trust your judgment, you can count on my support should you choose to take the relationship further."

Ever see or hear something so bizarre, so ridiculous, so unbelievably and ungodly wrong that you are left completely speechless? That's me right now. Gaping, eye twitching, fingers clenching; with Hikaru oblivious to the world, Hunny saying something to Dad, Tamaki frozen in place, Grandpa just watching Grandma, Grandma clearly pleased with herself.

She and that counselor of theirs must have had a great connection if she learned so much. I just wish whoever he or she is could have taught her when to stop talking. Hell, when to not talk at all. That would be fantastic.

"He is not my boyfriend," I shouted indignantly.

I noticed right away that my voice had sounded really strange. I was pretty sure I'd heard a 'her' layering my 'my.' Then I looked at Tamaki, at the flush that had overcome his features, and suddenly I understood.

Grandma caught it as well, and she had no idea which of us she should be paying more attention to. Her eyes went back and forth with a hopeless bewilderment that got a point were I just felt sorry for her. That in mind, I spoke up.

"What I… what we mean is that Hikaru is just a friend," I explained gently. "You were right about him being shy though. That's why I wanted to talk to him in private, he sometimes needs a little encouragement before meeting new people."

"I see," she said, studying the three of us intently. "So you're sure he's not-"

"We're sure."

And believe it or not, it wasn't me who said that. I didn't quite believe it at first myself, not until I felt Tamaki's presence mere inches away from my back. His breath was calm and even, resonating in my ears as he spoke.

"I can tell you with great certainty that Haruhi and Hikaru are not now, nor have they ever been romantically involved."

I don't think I ever heard Tamaki sound like that before. All curt and robotic and… and Kyoya-like, really. I don't know how else to describe it and I had no idea where it came from. Wasn't this the same guy who loved going on about how much he and the others loved me and would do anything for me? Now he's all but rejecting the idea of me and Hikaru having something more than friendship. I suppose it could've been his lying ability at work again, but something told me there was more to it than that.

It's not important as of yet, but don't forget about this little event because we're going to be coming back to it soon.

Anyway, Grandma, while probably a little confused, seemed to be satisfied with this. The problem now was the look she was giving Tamaki, sizing him up.

"So does that mean you're her-"

"No."

Okay, this time it was me.

"No, no, not at all," I said, leaving not a shadow of a doubt that this was the absolute truth. "We're all friends. Good friends and nothing more. And now they need to head home, we've kept them long enough."

"Oh, but Haruhi," Dad said, slithering up like a snake and looking rather like a killer on the prowl as he placed a hand on Tamaki's shoulder. From the uncomfortable look on Tamaki's face, I think he was aware of the brewing danger. "I was so looking forward to learning more about your lovely new friends here. We have so much to talk about, isn't that right, Tamaki?"

He squeezed down hard and Tamaki winced, although I don't know how much it could actually have hurt. My mouth fell open, clouds reforming in my mind and blocking out all rational thought. It lasted long enough for Grandma to spring back into action, gushing like a school girl and leading everyone back into the restaurant.

"I'm sure the waiter won't mind if we make another order. Mashiro and I will gladly pay for everyone, so have as much as you like!"

"Within reason," Grandpa grumbled.

I was rooted to the spot, watching them go and so far unnoticed.

"But… but…" I said aloud as my brain rebooted itself. "But… THEY DON'T EAT!"

That got a few stares.

Five minutes later, I was sitting at a new table, larger than the last one, in between Hikaru and Tamaki. The latter was politely sipping a bowl of miso soup, slurping spoonful after spoonful like it was a perfectly ordinary thing for a humanoid robot to be doing. My own bowl was untouched and growing colder by the second.

"Haruhi, aren't you going to eat anything?" Tamaki asked when he noticed my stoicism.

I glanced at Hikaru. He had seemingly given up on trying to speak and was stirring the spoon around his bowl, creating a tiny whirlpool that endlessly spun little bits of tofu around. Without looking away, I slowly leaned toward Tamaki, taking note of the way he sucked in a breath but at the moment not caring.

"You told me you couldn't eat," I deadpanned, my words slightly slurred as I was trying hard not to move my mouth too much.

Tamaki gave a chuckle, and it was the last thing I wanted to hear at the moment.

"I'm not eating," he said. "I am only partaking in the broth. We are capable of taking in liquids even though we don't need to. It's solid food that we are not capable of ingesting."

At this point, there were so many things I'd discovered about the androids that weren't in the manual, I was tempted to just throw them onto a fire and roast marshmallows. That way, they'd actually be useful for once! But I digress.

I felt a familiar shiver run down my leg. It stopped after a second or two, then started back up just as I was reaching into my pocket to retrieve my cell phone. The number on the ID wasn't one I recognized, but I turned all the way around and answered it anyway.

"Hello?" I whispered, placing a hand over my mouth to mask my voice.

"Good evening, Haruhi."

"Kyoya!"

I shot straight up in my seat, and all murmured talking ceased as everyone gave me odd looks. Any embarrassment was clouded by relief, and I stood without a second thought, waving the phone softly in the air.

"Sorry," I said. "I have to take this."

From there, I headed for the bathrooms just further down. I could vaguely hear conversation starting back up, but I felt at least one unrelenting pair of eyes on my back.

"Kyoya," I said again, much softer this time even though I'd put a fair amount of distance between myself and more potential problems. "Kyoya, what's going on? Are you alright?"

"Define 'alright,'" was his answer. "Because while physically, I am running at full power and functioning normally, I cannot say that I am enjoying my stay in this establishment. The policemen were kind enough to give me my one phone call, but I must be brief. I was hoping you could return soon for myself and the others."

I groaned, slamming my head against the nearest wall, heedless of the pain it caused.

"I don't have the money," I said through grit teeth. "I used all that I had to get Tamaki, Hunny and Hikaru out."

"Speaking of Hikaru," Kyoya said distractedly. I could hear something strange in the background. It sounded like crying, but thanks to the screaming criminals in other cells, I couldn't be sure. "How is he handling the separation from Kaoru?"

'How do you think?' I wanted badly to scream at him.

"He's… better, let's say. At the very least, he isn't trying to grind his head off with a brick wall anymore."

Kyoya 'hmmed' under his breath. I almost didn't catch it as someone started throwing things at the cell door and shouting about wanting a hamburger. It created a great deal of undue noise.

"I suppose we could call this a best case scenario, then," he said. "Technically speaking, the Mischevious Types are not meant to be apart from each other at any point. They are essentially one person in two bodies. I fear having one away from the other could be highly detrimental to their circuiting."

My stomach dropped into a bottomless pit, endlessly falling and taking my fears and woes along for the ride.

"This doesn't mean they will shut down, mind you," Kyoya went on, somewhat calming me, but not by much. "It's more likely that their programming will begin to short circuit, sending them into furious mood swings that will continue until they are successfully reunited."

I wished I could sink my head into the cement wall right then. Maybe I'd suffocate and die and not have to deal with this crap anymore. Were I not 15 at the time, I'd say I was getting too old for this.

"So that's our only option," I droned out. "Put them back together. We can't just… I don't know, teach them to think independently or something?"

"I'm afraid that is impossible. While both do have underlying individual programming, it is deeply encrypted and cannot be activated without either a series of 32 character pass codes, or severe mental strain forcing the unit into emergency mode. This is a stressful situation for the both of them, but not enough for such an even to occur."

I nodded along with Kyoya, and it briefly crossed my mind to wonder what, if Kyoya's explanation was accurate, could possibly be worse than getting more or less chopped in half.

"Your best bet is to find a way to release us from this place," Kyoya said, trailing off at the end and not speaking again for several seconds. When he came back on, he sounded like he was close to vomiting. "Please do so swiftly. There is a large, tattooed fellow who smells strongly of motor oil in the next cell over and he's been giving me inappropriate looks for the last ten minutes."

The noises in the background then changed to broken, almost tortured screaming mixed together with the unintelligible ranting of the guards and something hard banging on something equally hard, if not moreso.

"What's going on?" I demanded, receiving a funny look from a passing waitress.

A loud thump rang out over the noise, and it all stopped immediately after anyway. Then someone was fiddling with the phone, and then Kyoya's voice reappeared.

"Sorry about that," he casually said. "Kaoru just had a small breakdown and tried to claw his way out through the walls. I had Mori knock him unconscious, so he should be fine for at least a half hour."

"Good to know," I answered, now just far too used to their behavior to be shocked anymore. A month before, I never would have believed that calling a robot in prison would be a boring experience, or a possible one, but there you go.

"During this time, I suggest you do something fast," Kyoya said, taking on a forceful edge to his voice. "I really don't want to be in here anymore."

"I know, I know," I hissed, pushing the phone so far into my ear, it almost hurt. "I'll think of something, just tell Kaoru and Mori to hold tight okay?"

"Hurry," he answered. "I think the other prisoners are planning something. They've been very rambunctious and loud since you left. I don't mean to put more pressure on you, but please-"

click

I blinked, dumbly rooted at the spot listening to dead air before my hand started to move on it's own, snapping shut and pocketing my cell phone. It seemed the policemen's patience with Kyoya's lengthy phone conversation had wasted away.

I returned to the table in a trance like state, taking a page out of Hikaru's book. Sitting down, no one questioned what had taken me so long as Grandma was busy telling stories of her youth to an entranced Hunny and Dad was attempted to set Tamaki's head on fire with his eyes. The latter was staring at me, probably concerned by my silence at the proverbial rain cloud over my head, creating a massive storm.

"Haruhi," Grandpa said, suddenly tapping the top of my hand. "You sure your friend here is alright?"

He motioned at the ever distraught Hikaru, and I took note of the fact that his metal spoon had small dents on the sides, no doubt from a robotic hand gripping it way too hard.

"He's fine," I muttered, resting my head on my hand and not caring that it was technically bad manners to put elbows on the table. Not like Dad or Grandma were paying the attention necessary to scold me for it.

Something loud banged in the distance. I had at first believed that whatever it was had happened right next to me, and I wasn't the only one either. In fact, literally everyone in the moderately crowded room had quieted. Some of the adults got to their feet, I was pretty sure I could hear a baby whimpering, and everyone, including me, was staring at the window. The windows facing the police station.

A man appeared out from the back door. He was dressed much nicer than the waiters and waitresses, but judging by the way they all crowding around him, he was probably the manager. He also looked terrified, not a good sign at all.

"Everyone," he announced. "Please remain calm. There has been a breakout at the station next door. If everyone will just stay inside, we'll be locking the doors while the Police round everyone up. I ask again that you stay calm."

As we all know, telling a large crowd to stay calm during a crisis is sort of like telling a bird in the air to stop flying. The second the word 'breakout' was spoken, a wave of fearful cries and shouts arose. Even Grandpa was yelling incoherently about 'crappy civil service' with various expletives in between while Grandma tried in vain to calm him down.

Just as I was on the verge of my own massive fit, something tugged at my shirt, making turn around to face a pair of large, wet brown eyes.

"Haru-chan," Hunny's voice was cracking. "What do we do? Takashi is in there. And Kyo-chan and Kao-chan too!"

'That's right,' I thought then. 'They didn't do this, they couldn't have done it. Kyoya was right, they really were…'

My legs started to move, and I didn't try to stop. Dad called out to me, but I ignored him and moved faster. I had no idea what I was going to do, go outside, try and find them, watch out the door and hope they would emerge unscathed. What I couldn't do was sit there and worry, that would've killed me.

"Stay here!" I shouted, not really talking to anyone.

I knew they could hear me, even if no one else could. As far as I knew, Tamaki was the only one capable of disobeying me. He was the only one out of all the present androids I expected to chase after me. The same couldn't be said for my anxious and overprotective father and Grandparents.

In the end, there were three people who chose to follow, and not a single one of them was related to me.

Posted by Haruhi at 10:01 pm 0 comments