08.24.11

ACCEPTANCE

You can thank Mei for this entry coming out early. I was going to take the night off to rest and make a small stew pot, but when I went to check my messages, there were thirty-eight from her demanding to know what happens next. If you remember Mei from her little guest appearance a few entries back, you know how she is when she wants something. Like trying to stop a steamroller with your bare hands.

So here we go.

After Mori made his speech and all Hell broke loose, I didn't know where to go. The break room was out; that was the first place they'd look. The kitchen was the second place, so that wouldn't work either. I thought about getting lost in the crowd, but given the kind of dancing going on, I was likely to come out with my clothes ripped off and my body covered in glitter.

I also didn't know who, if anyone, was following me. I wasn't about to stop and find out.

I found a broom closet and ran inside. It was a temporary solution, but I am the least physically fit person I know and I needed to catch my breath before my heart stopped beating. I sunk to my knees among the mop buckets and jugs of bleach. The whole room smelled like cleaning fluid and it burned my eyes, but I withstood it as best I could and craned my neck up to catch those few sweet wisps of fresh oxygen.

"Okay, that could've gone better," I thought aloud. I needed to formulate a plan. A real plan this time. No more riding by the seat of my pants.

Two pairs of fists banged on the closet door. I pressed myself flat against it, trying to figure out which of the three mops was long and sturdy enough to make an effective spear. Then came the shouting.

"Haruhi! It's us. Let us in!"

I waited a moment just to be sure. When they kept banging and calling out to me, I cracked like an egg and moved to the opposite wall. Hikaru and Kaoru came barreling inside. The cramped space barely had enough room for two people, let alone three.

"Be quiet," I hissed before they had a chance to profess their undying affection for me like I was pretty sure they wanted to do. "Don't let them hear you."

"Hunny and Mori will take care of that," said Hikaru. He put his hands on my face, pulling me so close I thought our lips would touch. "What were you thinking coming here?"

"That I needed to see you again," I answered without missing a beat. "And that I should never have given you up. And that I'm so sorry for what I said. I didn't mean any of it."

"We know, Haruhi," said Kaoru, taking my hand and kissing it. "You wanted us to think you didn't like us so we wouldn't miss you. Tamaki figured it out after we left."

"I thought he was just being naive," Hikaru rubbed his thumb over my cheek, a warm smile brightening his features. "Gotta say, I'm glad I was wrong."

I hugged him so tightly, my arms hurt. I couldn't help myself. He smelled like berries and felt like a dream. Sorry if it's sappy, but this is one of those moments I remember with perfect clarity, from the sounds to the smells to the way Kaoru peeked through the keyhole to see if we were in the clear.

Heavy footsteps outside the door put them on high alert. They stood shoulder to shoulder, forming a barrier between me and our pursuers. I had a terrible feeling about where this was going. There was no doubt in my mind who would win if a fight broke out, and that's why a fight was the last thing I wanted.

"We have to get out of here," I said. "Where is everyone else?"

"No idea. We all went in different directions," said Hikaru.

"Mori stayed behind to keep the bouncers busy," Kaoru whispered. "Hunny was helping him. Tamaki and Kyoya were together last I saw. I think they went right."

"Left…" I still remembered the building's layout. Right from the VIP rooms was the kitchen. Not exactly a clever hiding spot. Then again, who was I to talk? I was in a broom closet. "Okay, we have to find them, then get Hunny and Mori away from those guards."

"Knowing them, the guards are all unconscious by now," said Hikaru.

"And tied up."

"With bent pieces of metal instead of rope."

"Okay, we still need to find them," I said, cutting off their humorous aside. In no way, shape or form did we have time for that. "Once we have everyone, we can work out a plan."

"We're going home with you, right?"

I almost said yes. It was on the tip of my tongue. I wished so hard I could say it and mean it. "Guys, you can't-"

"Of course we can!" Hikaru shouted. "Why else would you come looking for us if not to take us back?"

"But…" my head was spinning. "I mean… aren't you happy with Mrs. Fujioka?"

They shared a look, falling out of formation as they kneeled over me. Kaoru caressed my cheek while Hikaru took my hand. That was four intimate gestures in a row so far. Just one would've made me uncomfortable any other time. Tonight, I welcomed it.

"Mrs. Fujioka is friendly and hospitable. She has an indoor pool, a home theatre, and a private jet," Hikaru ran his thumb over my knuckles, "but she'll never be you, and you're the one we want."

I suddenly understood how those Idol loving waitresses felt. Would you believe I giggled? Because I might have giggled a little (and I can already hear Mei laughing…). I let them hold me until someone banged on the door so hard, it almost split in half from the pressure. "Hey! We know you're in there. Come out now and nobody gets hurt!"

The twins shoved me behind them again, taking comically inept fighting stances. I would describe them, but my face was partially buried in a (thankfully dry) mop head. Suffice to say, there's a reason they weren't the warriors of the group.

Still, a fight between to ordinary (albeit large) humans and two robots could only end one way. I spat out the mop and maneuvered myself into a sitting position. Somehow I found a spot with no one's butt in my face just as the bouncers stopped pounding on the door. I thought for a second that they'd given up and moved on, then the knob turned.

"They're coming in," I gasped. I tend to point out the obvious when I'm scared.

"Haruhi, listen," Hikaru said, more serious than he'd been since the jailbreak incident, "when they come in, Kaoru and I will distract them while you run."

"Are you crazy?" I turned to Kaoru, but he only nodded in agreement. "I'm not leaving you here."

"No, you're not," Kaoru said. "We're all getting out of here together, but first, we have to clear a path."

"Let us take care of these bozos. You go find Kyoya and Tamaki," Hikaru continued.

"When we're finished, we'll regroup and get out of here."

"It's going to be okay, Haruhi. We promise."

I wasn't convinced. Not in the least. But as the bouncers got in, there was no time to argue. Hikaru and Kaoru moved in perfect synchronicity, punching the men out with equal timing and force. They continued the assault as the bouncers struggled to fight back. One managed a hit on Kaoru's cheek, most likely breaking his finger in the process. He cried out, clutching his injured hand to chest and leaving his partner unsupported.

Meanwhile, I had to inch around the brawl as fast as I could before someone noticed me. I kept my arms up to protect my face and somehow avoided being hit. One of the bouncers spotted me and yelled at me to stop, but he barely had one syllable out because Hikaru body slammed him.

"Go Haruhi," he shouted.

"But I can't-"

"JUST GO!" They screamed together.

And so, I went.

The last thing I saw before I rounded the corner was two more security guards heading into the fray and Hikaru rather humorously clotheslining one of them. After that, I was on the dancefloor. I couldn't see anything except gyrating bodies and glow sticks. The music was typical dance club fare: extremely loud and obnoxious. I plugged my ears and tried to slide through the crowd without stepping on anyone's toe. I'm pretty sure I got six, but after many missteps (no pun intended) I made it to the other side.

Bouncers and security guards skulked at all the exits, and I was careful to avoid being seen. One of the perks of being under five feet and rail thin: you can pretty much fit anywhere. I dove under an empty table, curling my legs up under my chin so nothing stuck out. The bouncer who had been standing a foot away from me moved on to sweep the bar. I waited to get up, peeking out under the tablecloth at people's feet.

A few strappy sandals and polished dance shoes walked by, but luckily no one came to sit down. The kitchen had two swinging doors on either side of the building. The right side door was four tables away and nobody had gone in or out since I started hiding. I figured if I timed it right, I could make a break for it.

I counted backward from ten, raising myself into a sprinting position like the kids on the track team. I was starting to regret not taking gym classes. At zero, I bolted. I knocked my head against the side of the table, but that didn't deter me. The pain could wait.

Music pulsed through my body, so loud I barely heard it when someone shouted my name. I was halfway to the kitchen when I was violently jerked into the meaty arms of one of my pursuers. I kicked out my legs and flailed my arms, hoping to smack him in the face or knee him in the groin. He held tight and dragged me towards the exit. If you're wondering what Tobei was doing this whole time, your guess is as good as mine. Knowing him, he was probably in his office sleeping or on the phone with his kids. Either way, he was nowhere to be found and so were my friends.

"Quit squirming," the bouncer hissed in my ear. His breath smelled like dead fish and I nearly gagged. "You're out of here whether you like it or not."

I wanted to say 'oh no I'm not' or something equally defiant, but then Hunny appeared out of nowhere and roundhouse kicked my assailant in the face. The bouncer crashed into a table, out cold before he hit the ground. I would've gone with him had Mori not been there to yank me out of the air. He put me down as three more bouncers pushed through the oblivious dancers, heading straight for us.

"How many of them are there?" I wondered.

Hunny smiled at me before suplexing the closest bouncer into another table. He stayed on the offensive, nailing the second one with enough punches and kicks to make an old kung-fu movie jealous. The third guy looked on in horror before noticing Mori. As if thinking a bigger target would be easier, he charged. Mori shoved me toward the kitchen, arms up to cover my escape.

"Go," he said hoarsely. I could tell every word out of his mouth was a chore, but he fought valiantly against his programming. "We'll be fine. Go now."

"I will," I said, walking backward, never taking my eyes off him, "but you guys had better come back to me."

Mori didn't answer. I have no doubt that he could've if he tried, but he had a fight to win and I had two more robots to find. I was more careful this time: darting around tables and booths, checking all corners before making a move. If I got hit by another ambush, I wasn't getting out of it.

The kitchen was empty. There were three chefs on staff that night, but they were either on break or tied up in the freezer. The sink was full to bursting with dirty dishes, water dripping from the overhead hose. The ovens were turned off and wiped clean of residue. I couldn't hear anything over the music, so if a guard saw me duck inside and by some miracle avoided my friends, I wouldn't see them coming until it was too late.

I crept across the narrow space, sticking close to the walls and avoiding windows. Once again, being short is a blessing. I had no idea where I was going. I had no plan, just the overwhelming sense that I had to keep moving. It came from a voice in my head that sounded like Mori.

Hands grabbed me from behind. Just like the first time, I went straight into fight or flight mode. I thrashed my arms and legs around wildly, but my assailant wouldn't budge. He turned me to face him and I was ready to punch his lights out with everything I had. Then I saw the worry in his deep violet eyes. "Haruhi, it's okay! It's just me."

Tamaki let go, and Kyoya held me steady as I found my footing. They were both a mess, their suits stained and missing buttons; their faces scuffed and their hair full of sawdust. I don't know what they went through to get here, but it must have been brutal. And I kind of loved them even more for it.

"Oh thank God," I said, wrapping them in a hug. "Guys, I don't know what to do. I don't have a plan so I hope one of you does."

"You risked criminal charges to come find us and you have no plan?" asked Kyoya.

"I don't need this right now," I snapped. "Let's just get out of here."

A man's body slammed through the pickup window, which thankfully didn't have glass. He hung half in, half out, a massive welt forming on the back of his head. More thuds and crashes let us know the party was on its way. Hikaru laughed at his fallen opponents while Hunny added his own sound effects. They were having fun with this, and I envied their ability to make the best out of a frankly hopeless situation. As for me, I was painfully aware of how utterly screwed we were.

"Ms. Fujioka, I know you're in there." My heart sank at the sound of Dr. Suoh's voice. "We know you have the Princely Model and the Cool Model with you-"

"MY NAME IS TAMAKI!" It was spoken with more rage and vitriol than I think he even knew he was capable of. "His name is Kyoya. You will NOT take us away from Haruhi again, do you understand?"

"Princely model! You will stand down and come out immediately!"

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with Haruhi. She's the only one I want."

"If you won't come willingly we will come in after you," shouted Dr. Ootori. It seemed everyone was out there waiting for us to surrender. I couldn't hear my friends anymore, just Mrs. Fujioka warbling about how 'dramatic' the whole thing was. "Don't make this more difficult than it already is."

"We're well past difficult, Father," said Kyoya. "We won't be going anywhere with you."

They held my hands, so tight it might've hurt if I wasn't gripping theirs just as strongly. I thought I heard the click of a weapon, but I might have just imagined it. I sure hoped I was. Were they bulletproof? Maybe. Would the doctors really let them be shot? Probably not.

Did I want to test those theories? No way in Hell.

And we didn't have to because that's when the fire alarm went off.

Water squirted from the sprinklers, drenching anyone unfortunate enough to stand beneath them. In this case, it was Dr. Ootori, so maybe not that unfortunate. We seized the opportunity to run as the twins evil laughter rose over the chaos. Those two were going to give me a heart attack someday, but I applauded their ingenuity. Slipping out of the kitchen, I spotted the doctors, flanked by two more bouncers. Mrs. Fujioka had run away, screaming about her designer gown getting wet. Dr. Ootori resembled a drowned cat, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't savor the image. He pointed at us and yelled, but we were too far away and soon merged with the dancers.

Since there was no fire visible and most of them were less than sober, no one panicked at the blaring sirens. It went well with the pounding dubstep beats, so they only danced harder. I think at some point, the party was broken up, but by the time the so-called music came to a merciful end, we were at the far exit where Hikaru, Kaoru, Hunny, and Mori were waiting.

"Oh, Haruhi!" Hunny cried, throwing himself at me. "We missed you so much! We-"

"Hug later. Run now!" shouted Hikaru.

We made a break for the exit. It was locked from the inside and couldn't be opened without a code. Unless you were a robot with superhuman strength. Tamaki got there first, and he didn't hesitate to rip the door off its hinges and throw it over his shoulder. It landed at Dr. Suoh's feet.

"Princely model," he said, his nostrils flaring not unlike my father's did when he was mad at me. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"I'm leaving," he said firmly, once more taking my hand. "I don't care who paid for us. We're staying with Haruhi."

"Do you really expect us to let you walk out of here?" Dr. Ootori sloshed over, his every step squeaking from the water in his shoes. "You six have caused far more trouble tonight than you're worth, and all for someone who is in no way legally entitled to you!"

"You keep saying that like we'll be good little androids and come crawling back," Hikaru said, rolling his eyes.

"How many times do we have to say 'we love Haruhi' before you get it?" Kaoru added.

"You don't love her. Your programming is overextending itself," Dr. Ootori seethed. "I thought at least you'd be self-aware enough to understand, Cool Model."

Kyoya squeezed my shoulder. "I understand far more than you'll ever know. And it's Kyoya."

The doctors, red-faced and probably not used to being back spoken to so brazenly, called forth their men. They were bruised and bloodied, and ready to return the favor ten fold at their bosses' word.

"If that's the case, then we have no choice," said Dr. Suoh coldly. "We're taking you back to headquarters and restoring you to factory settings."

My heart froze. "You can't do that!"

"If they can't forget about you on their own, we'll just have to make them."

Dr. Ootori snapped his fingers, and the men advanced. I knew in two seconds time, I'd be on one of their backs and we'd be sprinting down the street and across the country if we had to. Nothing would ever separate us again. Coming here and seeking them out may very well have been the stupidest thing I've ever done, but even then, in our darkest hour, I knew with total surety that if I had to, I'd do it all again.

"Hold it!"

The world screeched to a halt as Mrs. Fujioka pushed past the bouncers. Her makeup was smudged, and her fake eyelashes gone. Her dress was mostly dry barring a few splotches where she made contact with their wet shirts. Her chest heaved, her large body exerting more force than it probably had in years. She stopped in front of me, hands on her hips, eyes piercing through my skull. I didn't know what she was thinking, but I had a few ideas, and none of them were good.

"Mrs. Fujioka," Dr. Ootori said, "if you'll please step back-"

"I will please nothing," she snapped, "and by the way, herbal tea is for women on their cycle. If you're on yours, bring your own tea next time."

Add one more priceless moment to remember when I'm feeling down.

Now then, you and I need to have a talk, Fujioka-san." She glanced at my friends. "Alone."

I would've told her exactly where she could stick it, but not only was I taught better than that, I had a feeling like I should at least hear her out. I had kind of ruined her night, much as I did and still feel justified. She walked toward an empty VIP room, and I took the unspoken hint to follow her. Tamaki held onto my hand, his eyes pleading. I smiled reassuringly.

"It's okay," I said. "I'll be right back."

None of them looked convinced.

Mrs. Fujioka closed the door as soon as I was inside. I could no longer hear the music or the doctors arguing with each other. My ears were eternally grateful.

"These rooms are soundproof," said Mrs. Fujioka, sensing my relief. "Convenient, isn't it?"

"Er- yeah. I guess so," I said, looking around for any sign of an emergency exit. Just in case…

This room was slightly smaller than hers had been and decorated more like an old Roman palace complete with a recreation of the Statue of David which doubled as a vending machine (don't ask me how the food was dispensed). Mrs. Fujioka patted the pearl white cushion next to her. I sat down as she dug through her purse, pulling out makeup and checkbooks by the handful. Finally, she withdrew a creased slip of paper, browned with age, but clearly a photo when she handed it to me."

"That's my Mashiro and me," she said. "We were just a little older than you when it was taken. Wasn't he so handsome?"

The man in the photo was indeed handsome. He was tall and broad-shouldered like Mori; immaculately groomed like Kyoya. His eyes carried a warmth only Tamaki could achieve. He wore a dark yukata. I couldn't pinpoint the exact shade in a black and white photo, but everything about him screamed wealth and status.

By contrast, the woman standing next to him was decidedly plain. She had a round face and soft eyes gazing reverently at her companion. Her hands and cheeks were dusted in soot. She wore an equally stained apron and a scarf tied around her head. If I could pick one word to describe her appearance, it was rough.

"You look… different," I said, and even that was probably too much. It was just hard to reconcile Mrs. Fujioka as she was with who she had become.

She chuckled. "You're not wrong. I was a kitchen maid growing up. My family served the Fujioka clan for generations before I came along. They were the richest family in the region, and I was madly in love with their son from the moment I met him. For years, I pined away, never dreaming the day would come when he'd return my feelings." She ran her fingers over the man's face, frozen in a gentle smile, "but he did. He did…" Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she didn't dry them. "His parents were furious when they learned we were to marry. They told Mashiro they'd disown him if he went through with it, but he never wavered in his devotion to me. He said, 'I love this woman with all my heart. You can either accept it or I will disown you.' You can imagine how shocked they were. He'd never disobeyed them before, and now here he was, ready to give it all up for me, a servant girl."

"It sounds like he really loved you," I said.

"Yes, and I loved him, too. More than anything in the world. When he died, I swore to myself I'd never remarry. I'd already found my soulmate, and that doesn't come a second time." She turned to me and placed her hands on my shoulders. She seemed both older and younger at the same time. "I don't know if it's possible to have six soulmates, but Haruhi, the way those boys look at you… it's just like how Mashiro looked at me. It's true love, and I would die before I took that from you."

Then she hugged me. She smelled like soap and the kind of perfume my dad hated. I let her do it anyway. I think she needed it. She let go and dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. Her makeup was completely ruined at this point, so she didn't bother being careful. I wanted to speak, but I was at a loss. Nothing I could think of sounded right, so I didn't say anything.

"Now, let's take care of these pesky doctors, shall we?" She had yet to recover her earlier pomp but still marched along like she owned the place. There's something inspiring about that level of confidence.

Dr. Ootori was drying his hair with a towel while Dr. Suoh yelled at someone over the phone. The guys were staring down the bouncers, trying to prove they were the apex predators. All of that effort to be the toughest, most badass manly men fell to nothing when they saw me. In an instant, they had descended upon me, checking me for cuts or broken bones or holes in my socks.

"Are you all right, Haruhi?"

"She didn't yell at you, did she?"

"Haru-chan! Do you want some cake? Cake will make you feel better!"

They were all over me. Pulling me six different ways at once. I could barely breathe or speak, and all the while, Mrs. Fujioka looked on and smiled. Then she turned to the doctors.

"Gentlemen, I'd like to thank you for everything you've done to accommodate me these past few days," she said, "but I've decided your products simply aren't for me. I will be turning them over to young Ms. Fujioka effective immediately."

The looks on their faces were even better than the last two times combined. I wish I'd taken a picture.

"Wha- you… you can't do that!" Dr. Ootori exclaimed. "You signed a contract-"

"A contract which grants me full legal and physical ownership over any and all items purchased from your company, as per clause 72 added by my attorney," Mrs. Fujioka grinned like a cat about to devour a helpless mouse. "Those are the terms you agreed to during the sale. If I want to give them away or have them converted into blenders, I am well within my rights."

"But Mrs. Fujioka, think about what you're doing," said Dr. Suoh, his brow gleaming with sweat. "You spent millions of dollars on them! And now you just want to give them away? To someone who isn't even remotely qualified to take care of them?"

"If you'd rather have them back, I can return them," she said coolly. "Just remember you'll owe me a full refund along with thirty percent interest per item. Clause 38."

"But-"

"Besides," she nodded at me, wrapped up nice and snug in a bone-breaking group hug, "there's no one more qualified to love them than she is."

The next few hours weren't that interesting, so let me summarize: the party went on, the guests none the wiser to what was happening right under their noses. Tobei finally made an appearance and got an abridged account of the incident which didn't include me at all. Instead, Mrs. Fujioka gushed about what a wonderful employee I was and how I should get a raise. Obviously, I didn't since I never actually worked there, but Tobei did pay me extra at the end of the night. Mrs. Fujioka got in touch with her lawyer, and they hammered out the details of turning full ownership of all Ouran co. related merchandise over to me.

In the end, I was beyond exhausted, but Dr. Suoh and Dr. Ootori had been sufficiently browbeaten. All their complaints came to nothing, and I could expect a contract in the mail by Friday at the latest.

Before we left, Mrs. Fujioka took me aside one more time.

"I can't thank you enough for this, Mrs. Fujioka," I said. I was shaking so hard, I could hardly believe this was real and not a dream. "You spent so much money on them, and to just give them to me… I don't know what to say."

"Oh, like I need more money. I have far too much as it is," she said. "Just promise me you'll never forget how much they love you. Wherever you go from here, your happily ever after has only just begun."

This time, when she pulled me in, I hugged her back. Her perfume didn't bother me anymore.

We walked home even though Mrs. Fujioka offered to lend us her limo. I'd had enough of the high life for one day. I let Hikaru and Kaoru hold my hands and carried Hunny on my back for the first two blocks. Mori lifted him off me when his weight became too much, and then Tamaki hugged me from behind as Kyoya graced us all with a rare smile.

"You were like a storybook princess, Haruhi," Tamaki gushed. "Or a knight in shining armor. You were a princess masquerading as a knight masquerading as a humble servant girl who was really a princess all along!"

"That's very... specific of you," I teased. Secretly, I hoped he'd keep going.

"I liked the part where we pulled the fire alarm," Kaoru snickered. "That was fun."

"We should do it again sometime," said Hikaru.

"Or you could not do that," Kyoya interjected. "I hope you all realize how lucky we are. If Mrs. Fujioka hadn't come around, we'd be right back at square one and I don't think we'd have gotten a second chance."

Of course, he was right. And of course it was a buzzkill, but it did bring up one very important issue.

"I don't know how I'm going to explain this to my dad." I shuddered."He's coming home in five weeks and he'll want his room back."

"It's okay, Haru-chan, we can just buy another couch! Or some sleeping bags," said Hunny.

"Yeah," said Mori. I think that was his sixtieth word of the day and by far the happiest I've ever heard him.

"It's come to my attention that some of your neighbors are moving out," said Kyoya. "If your landlady is comfortable renting to students, it could be a potential solution. We are still registered at your school I believe."

Even if she wouldn't rent to them, we'd find another way. That was the unspoken truth we all knew. After a stunt show gone wrong, a prison raid, a dance club in shambles, and gym class, there was nothing we couldn't survive together. We were a unit. I trusted them and they trusted me. I'm not going to apologize for being sappy this time. Even a stoic bookworm like me can be emotional sometimes, and this was one of those times.

"By the way," I said, letting go of Hikaru's hand to squeeze Kyoya's, "my dad is expecting an e-mail from you. His bulletin board is out of date."

Kyoya chucked, his grey eyes clear as day. "Well, I don't want to disappoint him."

I would've been perfectly fine with him snapping our picture right there. It was truly a perfect moment.

Right up until a black van cut us off. Two pairs of hands dragged me inside before I or my friends could react, and then we sped off at a hundred miles per hour.

...what? After all this time, I think I'm entitled to one more cliffhanger.

Posted by Haruhi at 4:38 pm 0 comments