A/N: Don't forget about the poll that I have up on my profile. If you don't want to access that, then let me know with your review who you would like to see coupled up with Haruhi in the Christmas story I am planning. Thanks everyone!
Chapter 8 – The Twins Are Forced
When Kyoya returned home that night the expected package was waiting for him. He opened it and looked inside. It would definitely do the trick to make sure that they didn't create too much trouble for the foursome tomorrow. Kyoya smirked. He was beginning to really look forward to the meeting with the twins.
Haruhi woke up and went to school as usual, but not usual were the butterflies in her stomach at the thought of seeing the twins again. She knew that they were mad, she had only to remember the phone call she made to them and a chill ran up her spine, but now she knew that they had receded back into their own world and wouldn't separate and that told her how bad it really was. She knew that she shouldn't blame herself for it all, but she couldn't help the guilty feeling that was like a huge weight in the middle of her gut. She couldn't concentrate and missed most of what was said during classes. She was a zombie just going through the motions of being there. Luckily she was not called on during any of her classes.
When she was exiting her last class, she checked her phone and saw that she had a text message from Hunny. She was smiling before she read it and was smiling bigger after she was done. She ran to the fountain by the library on campus.
Hunny sent Haruhi a text telling her to meet him after her last class at the fountain. He wasn't sure when class ended for her and didn't want to call her and cause a distraction. He waited for her and let the anticipation build upon seeing her again. He felt like he was dreaming every time he thought about the fact that she was back in his life, which was a lot. Haruhi had always had a knack for making him and the others feel better. She had the ability to know what you needed when you needed it, but could never see what was around her when it concerned herself. Now that she was back, it is like a breath of fresh air came and replaced the dank and musty air that surrounded him.
He had been there about 30 minutes when he got up and started to walk around the fountain. He was just getting back to his starting point when he looked up and saw Haruhi running towards him. Hunny smiled at the girl and stood there watching her make her way towards him. The closer she got, the happier he felt. She was his flesh and blood Usa-chan in a way.
Haruhi stopped in front of Hunny out of breath, "Sorry Mitsukuni, I just got out of class. Were you waiting long?"
"Come and sit down for a minute Haru-chan. I wasn't waiting long so don't worry about that. Catch your breath," Hunny said as he led her to the bench near the fountain where he had been sitting previously.
"Oh good, I was worried that you had been waiting for a while and so I ran when I got your text," Haruhi said after she sat down. She was still trying to catch her breath.
Hunny shook his head at the girl, if she only knew that he would wait any amount of time he needed to for her. He watched her take out a water bottle from her school bag and drink. "You didn't have to run the whole way. I knew you had class and was prepared to wait. Besides, your appointment isn't until 2:00 and it is only 11:45 now. Do you want to get some lunch before we head over to the twins house?"
"I know, but I hated to think of you waiting too long for me," Haruhi said. She didn't add that she was excited about seeing him again and that had spurned her to run more than the thought of him waiting. She shook her head. She needed to get ahold of herself. The excitement and fluttering she felt in her stomach, the giddiness when she thought of seeing him so soon was all because she was happy he was back in her life. It was nothing more than that. She told herself that she would feel the same about Kyoya and Mori. Yes, she appreciated how he had grown and matured, what woman wouldn't, but there was nothing else there. They were friends, "Lunch sounds really good."
"Let's go then!" Hunny said as he helped her up from the bench and offered her his arm. He got tingles when she accepted it and he led her to his limo.
"Where are Mori and Kyoya?" Haruhi asked when she realized that it was just Hunny that had been waiting on her.
"Takashi and Kyoya are taking care of a little business this morning. We are going to meet them at the twin's place at your appointment time."
Haruhi nodded at this bit of information. She hoped that the two of them were able to wrap up their business dealings and make it to the appointment on time. She was grateful that Hunny was going to be there, but she had a feeling it would take more than him to get the twins to cooperate. She got in the limo ahead of her friend and then they were off to lunch.
Kyoya had called Hunny and Mori that morning and explained the little change of plans. He asked that Mori meet him earlier so that they could go to the twins ahead of Haruhi and "prepare" them for the meeting that afternoon. Hunny would pick Haruhi up from school and then keep her busy until the appointment. They would then arrive to two very obliging twins. Hunny laughed, he was not sure what Kyoya had up his sleeve, but knew that it would work. The plans were adjusted and Mori took off to meet Kyoya while Hunny went to meet with Haruhi.
Mori arrived at Kyoya's and was shown to his room. Kyoya was working on his laptop when the quiet giant entered and didn't look up when he asked his guest to have a seat and he would be with him momentarily. Mori sat down on the couch and waited for his friend to explain to him exactly what they were going to do.
Kyoya finished up his business on his computer and looked over to Mori, "I have found out that the twins are going to be home all day. In addition, they have no other appointments. I was thinking you and I could go over there early and persuade the two of them to listen to reason this afternoon."
Mori raised an eyebrow, "Ok and if that doesn't work?"
"I believe that they can be swayed to listen to reason, even if it does take a little help," Kyoya leered as he held up a small vial.
"What?"
"It is a drug that is very fast acting and can be used to knock out a couple of trouble makers if they don't want to listen. We can then have my body guards tie them to a couple of chairs and they will be forced to listen. Plus we can make sure that everyone in the room is safe when it comes to whatever childish temper tantrum they, or I should say Hikaru, want to throw. The side effects are minimal and although fast acting, it will wear off relatively quickly. Normally I would not condone such methods on my friends, but I think I can make the exception this time."
Mori was a little surprised. He knew that Kyoya was the shadow king and he knew that he used a variety of methods to make sure the job got done, but he wasn't expecting him to want to drug Hikaru and Kaoru. However, the more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed to be. He finally nodded, "Ok, I will help. How does it work?"
The two of them discussed the plan in detail and by the time that they were finished, no stone was left unturned. They would try talking to the twins first and if that didn't work, they would slip the drug into their drinks and wait for it to take effect.
They arrived at the twins' house at 11:30 and invited the twins to lunch. The twins took them up on their offer and together the four of them drove to the restaurant.
In the car the twins asked, "Mori where is Hunny?"
"He is having lunch with a friend," Mori replied truthfully.
"Kyoya where is this girl you want us to make a dress for?" Hikaru asked.
"Is she someone special to you?" Kaoru added trying to get information.
"Actually she is a good friend, so I guess you could say that she is special. She was busy, but will be at the appointment at 2:00. You can meet her then," Kyoya offered them with his host smile.
"Do you know who she is Mori?" The twins asked together.
"Ah," Mori said with a nod.
Now the twins were curious. The girl was someone special to Kyoya and Mori knew who she was. They wondered if it could be the future Mrs. Kyoya Ootori.
At lunch Kyoya made sure they had a private table. They needed to make sure that the conversation was not overheard and that if the twins lashed out, it was kept under wraps as much as possible. After they were seated and lunch was ordered, Kyoya started the topic of conversation, "Have you two wondered about what happened to Haruhi and where she is right now?"
"Why would we care about what happened to her?" Hikaru sneered.
"She is the one that turned her back on us," Kaoru said defensively.
"You two never wonder? You were her closest friends. Is she that easy to forget?" Kyoya asked. He knew that this was not going to be easy and that they might react like this.
"Friends? She was never a real friend if she could walk away from us so easily!" Hikaru said derisively.
Mori sighed. He knew that this was going to happen, but he had hoped that they would have gotten past some of their anger. "We pushed her," Mori said to the two youngest men at the table.
"We didn't push her!" Hikaru screeched.
"She made her own decision. They are probably married now and don't think about us at all," Kaoru alleged.
"We didn't? What about us trying to force her to choose? What about us trying to control her and tell her that we didn't like him? What about our reaction to her engagement?" Kyoya asked.
"She made her choice," Hikaru replied. He was not going to budge. Yes, he thought about Haruhi a lot the past two years, but she made her own bed and it didn't include the six of them. If she really wanted them, she wouldn't have left them that night. Kaoru didn't know about the phone call Hikaru received from Haruhi, it was best that way. She abandoned them and they didn't need her.
Kaoru seemed a little less sure and a little more open to what his two former Senpai said. They had been a little forceful with their dislike and telling her to get rid of him. He sometimes wondered if they painted her into a corner and she did what she felt she had to do to get out of it. He had thought about her daily since she left and wondered what happened to her. "Maybe we did, but she did make her own decisions in the end," he sounded a little hesitant.
"Can we not talk about our ex-friend any longer?" Hikaru asked snidely and then regretted his tone of voice when he received a glare from the shadow king. He gulped and lowered his head.
Kyoya knew that it would take a little more to get these two to agree to anything. It looked like plan B would need to be used. They would wait until just before they left the restaurant. Kyoya looked at Mori and both of them shared a nod.
The quartet finished their lunch and before they left the restaurant, Kyoya was able to distract the twins long enough to put the drug into their drinks. When he was done and the twins were once again focused on the two older men, Kyoya offered a toast. All four of them drank their remaining drinks and then walked out to the limo. The twins were out before they got back to the house and when they woke up; they realized they could not move.
When Kyoya saw that both twins were coming to, he made sure he was standing directly in front of them, "No doubt you are wondering what happened. You are currently tied up. It is no use trying to escape, it isn't going to happen. I have my security team here to make sure that it doesn't," Kyoya glared at the two men seated in front of him. Both had duct tape over their mouths to keep them from talking. Hikaru looked murderous and Kaoru looked a bit frightened. Kyoya gave an evil laugh, "You see what happens when you don't want to listen to reason? Now we are going to have a little talk before my friend comes for her appointment. Actually I shall say that I will talk and you will listen." He watched as both of them started to signs of nervousness at the tone he used.
"Now to begin, you need to understand a few things. The situation with Haruhi was not only her fault. Yes, it was childish to strike out, but we did not help matters and two people were the worst at trying to tell her what to do. Do you know who those two people are? No? Well I will tell you, it was Hikaru and Tamaki," Kyoya mocked.
Both twins' eyes widened at the accusation. Kaoru turned to his brother and saw the look of hatred he shot Kyoya. Kaoru turned his attention back to Kyoya. He was curious about what was going on.
"I see Hikaru doesn't believe me. Does he Mori?" Kyoya turned to the taller man and saw him shake his head no, "Am I wrong?" Again Mori shook his head no. "As you can see, I am not the only one that believes this. We all have to accept some of the blame. If you had six people telling you what you could and could not do, who you could and could not date, and forcing you into different situations, sooner or later you will buckle and try to retaliate. She retaliated by walking away. Mori was right when he said we pushed her to it. She may have left, but we abandoned her just as much as she abandoned us. We could have been there and apologized. Instead we decided to wipe her out of our lives for good. None of us wanted to accept blame for our part in everything. However, at one point she tried to reach out for help and reach out to people she thought would be there for her and forgive her, too bad they threw what she did in her face and abandoned her. Want to tell me why when she called you for help you told her to get lost?"
Kaoru couldn't believe what was just said. He never received a call from Haruhi and hadn't talked to her since the day of the party. He slowly turned his head to his brother and saw the fear on his face. Hikaru knew what Kyoya was talking about. Haruhi had called and Hikaru turned her away. Kaoru turned away from his twin and hung his head. Tears were starting to pool in his eyes.
"Well, it seems that Kaoru didn't know about that phone call, which means Hikaru is the one that left her to the wolves. Maybe I should do the same to you. What do you think? I can make you feel what she did that night she called you," Kyoya threatened and knew he hit his target with the look of utter terror that went across Hikaru's face.
He frowned at the older twin, "Are you wondering what happened that night and why we are talking about Haruhi now? It is an easy explanation. She has come back into our lives by a chance coincidence and we have decided that since fate brought her back, we will not turn her away again. Now, she should be here any minute, "Kyoya said looking at his watch, "and you will listen to everything she has to say. If you still don't want to forgive her and accept her then that is your choice, but you will listen to her. And Hikaru, I promise you, you will regret doing what you did and it won't be by my hand."
Less than five minutes later, Hunny and Haruhi were shown into the room where the other four were located. Haruhi gasp upon seeing the sight of the twins tied up with tape over their mouths. She looked to Mori and Kyoya for answers.
"We thought it was best to make sure that the temper tantrums and throwing of objects were dealt with before you arrived," Kyoya supplied.
"What did you do to them?" Haruhi asked with her hands on her hips.
"We just made sure they were ready to listen to you," Kyoya defended.
Haruhi narrowed her eyes and turned back to the twins. She felt bad for them, but knew that this was Kyoya's way of making sure that everyone stayed calm. It was his way of handling things and making sure she was safe from the twin's wrath. As she thought about it logically, she realized that as bad as she felt for them, it was probably the best way. "Sorry about this," she apologized.
Hunny didn't know what happened, but he was thankful that they were tied up. He knew that Hikaru had a temper and there was a chance he could hurt Haruhi. The chance of something happening now was gone and that is the way he preferred it to be. She may not approve, but it needed to be done.
"Talk," Mori said calmly from his perch on one of the chairs.
"Yes, they are ready to listen to everything you have to say," Kyoya said from behind her.
Haruhi looked around the room to all of her friends. When she looked behind her and received a small nod from the shadow king. Hunny stood next to her and she felt safe. Mori gave her a small smile and nod in encouragement. Kaoru looked at her confused and she thought she saw a bit of guilt in his eyes, but didn't think that was possible. Hikaru just looked upset.
She took a deep breath and decided to just spill her guts. She told them the same story she had told Hunny and Kyoya. She was crying when she got to the phone call that she made to the twins and by the time she finished, Hunny's arms were around her holding her and trying to calm her down, "I am just really sorry about everything that happened."
It had been the first time Mori had heard her tale first hand and it upset him more than when his cousin told him. She had gone through so much and they had left her alone. He promised himself that it would not happen again.
Kaoru listened to everything that Haruhi had said. He felt sick to his stomach and his eyes were full of tears. They had abandoned her like Kyoya said. If he would have known about the phone call, he believes he would have helped her, but guiltily admitted he might have done the same thing that Hikaru had done. He couldn't blame his twin: that was who he was. Hikaru was a hothead and quick to pass judgment. It wasn't right, but he couldn't be mad at him.
Hikaru hung his head as Haruhi told her tale. He was sick. He left her to that man and she had been hurt. He could have saved her from some of it, but he turned his back on her. Kyoya and Mori were right, they had pushed her to make some of the decisions that she did and when she made her decisions, they pretended like she didn't even exist. He said that she wasn't a real friend, but what did that make him? He felt low and knew that he did hold some blame in what happened. He was angry with himself for doing what he did. He was mad at her for leaving still, but he couldn't blame her without shouldering some of the blame. He felt like he was scum.
Haruhi looked up from Hunny's chest, "Can we untie them now?"
Kyoya nodded and Mori got up to untie the two prisoners. When they were both free and the tape removed, they stood up and stared at the girl wrapped in the arms of Hunny. They didn't know what to say or do. Hikaru finally spoke up, "Excuse me. I need some time." He left the room and Kaoru followed offering his own excuses.
When they left, Haruhi felt defeated. She was tired and emotionally worn out. She felt herself being led to the couch in the room and she was pushed to sit. She looked to her right when she felt the seat next to her sag. Hunny was there to comfort her.
Hunny was worried about Haruhi. She looked so lost. He helped her to sit and then sat down next to her pulling her to his side, "Don't worry Haru-Chan. They just need time to process what they heard today. It is forcing them to think completely differently. They will come around." He felt her nod and squeezed her a little tighter.
"Yes, indeed. I think that they will come around," Kyoya agreed.
"Come," Mori said standing up. There was no point waiting there for the twins to work through everything.
Everyone agreed with Mori and they all stood and left the room to leave the house. Hunny helped Haruhi to stand and then supported her as they walked out to the car. She was asleep before the car pulled up to Hunny and Mori's apartment. Hunny carried her into the apartment and laid her on the bed in the guest room so that she could sleep without being disturbed.
Hunny walked back into the living room. Kyoya was on his computer and Mori was looking over a file. They both looked up with a question in their eyes when he came back in the room, he could tell that they were worried about their young friend, "She is fine. It has been a very emotional last few days for her and I think it has finally caught up to her. She just needs to sleep." He watched as both men nodded and went back to work. He decided to make some tea and finish reviewing the files that Kyoya had given him a couple of days prior.
Three hours passed before Haruhi woke up with a start. She looked around the room and at first was very disoriented, but then realized where she was when she looked down and saw a pink bunny in her arms. Hunny had given her Usa-Chan at some point while she slept. She smiled at the bunny and held it a little tighter as she made her way to the living room.
The three men that occupied the living room looked up when they heard the bedroom door open and when Haruhi made it to the living room; all of them offered her a small smile of encouragement. They knew it had been hard for her to face the twins after what Hikaru did, although she thought it was both of them. She still looked tired, but at least she didn't look as sad and lost. That was an improvement in their eyes.
Hunny got up and walked over to the girl that was holding his bunny. He smiled at the sight. There was something so completely cute about her holding his bunny, "Haru-Chan are you alright? Do you need anything?"
"Um just some tea I think. I will be fine," Haruhi said offering him a small smile. She watched him walk into the kitchen to make the tea and she made her way to the couch he was occupying and sat down on the opposite end of where he was stationed. She jumped when she heard a loud ringing that pierced the quietness of the room. The noise turned out to be Kyoya's cell phone. She watched him lift his brows and turn to her after he answered it.
"Haruhi it is the twins and they want to talk to you," Kyoya said with a smirk.
Haruhi slowly got up from the couch and moved towards Kyoya. She took the offered phone and put it up to her ear, "Hello?"
"Haruhi we want to let you know that we are sorry and we forgive you," the twins said together.
"You weren't the only one to blame," Kaoru said.
"We would like a chance to be friends again," Hikaru said next.
"So do you want to go to lunch tomorrow?" They both asked together.
Haruhi laughed. It had been a while since she heard anyone talk like they did and she had missed it tremendously, "Yah that would be nice."