A/N: Mori won the poll and the Ouran Christmas story is up. I hope all of you enjoy it. It is titled Mistletoe and Christmas Presents. Go and check it out. Thank you! Merry Christmas everyone! This is my third and final Christmas story this year. I have also written one for Twilight and Fruits Basket, so if you are fans of those stories, please check out the stories. Now for Another Chance, here is your Tamaki chapter. I hope you like it. Thank you to all of my reviewers and readers for the support. I am excited that all of you like this story so much. Have a wonderful holiday and here is the next installment. Please review if you have time.
Chapter 11 – The Prodigal Daughter Returns
Haruhi was grateful to Hunny for offering to let her stay at his apartment. She was a little unsettled by the events of the day and being alone in her apartment was not ideal for her state of mind.
When they arrived at the apartment, Hunny took her bag to the guest room and went into the kitchen to put the cakes up. He was impressed by Haruhi's strength. Yes she had been afraid, but she had not run away from them again and she still tried to protect someone that she once considered a friend. Hunny smiled, she was a rare gem.
Mori came into the kitchen and looked at his cousin, "Haruhi here?"
"Yah, it was a rough day and her dad was going to be gone for most of the night, so I invited her to stay in our guest room," Hunny replied.
"What happened?" Mori asked. He knew that Hunny was not telling him the whole story.
"Nothing Takashi, she is fine and just needed a break."
Mori walked over to his cousin and ruffled his hair, "Ok." He pulled a glass out of the cabinet and poured himself some water before going back to his room to review some case files.
Hunny hated not telling his cousin, but he would not go back on his word to Haruhi. He would not be the one to spill to Kyoya or Mori, but he would make sure that they were not included in the trip to Tamaki's house on Saturday.
Hunny and Haruhi stayed up and watched a movie before they went to bed and in the middle of the night, Hunny ran to the girl's room when she started to scream. She was having a nightmare. He eventually was able to calm her down and in the end wanted to punish Hikaru for what happened. He stayed with her the rest of the night to make sure the monsters stayed away. The next morning he took her to school and let her know he would pick her up.
Haruhi had almost decided to stay at home, but knew that she needed to get to class. She was tired and cranky and a little bit jumpy. She told herself to get over it, she was fine, but that was easier said than done. She just needed a little bit of time.
When she walked out of her last class, Hunny was standing outside of the door waiting for her. He didn't seem to cause as much of a scene as the twins had the day before, but people did notice him. She smiled; it was not to notice a good looking guy. She turned to him when they got into the limo, "Where are we going?"
"Kyo-Chan's office. He has a dinner party he needs to go to tonight, so we are going to meet at his office now so that we are set for tomorrow. We can get lunch afterward, if that is ok with you," Hunny explained.
"Yah, that sounds good. He knew not to invite the twins, right?" Haruhi asked nervously. She hated the tremor in her voice and tried to get rid of it.
"He knows. I didn't tell him why, just that they were not to be invited."
Haruhi offered her friend a small smile, "Ok, thank you."
They arrived at Kyoya's office and were immediately ushered in where they found Mori and Kyoya waiting for them. Mori got up and gave the girl a small hug and Kyoya gave her a nod. Both of them could see the dark circles under her eyes and the way she seemed to be on guard. Something had indeed happened yesterday, but she wasn't talking. They knew it involved the twins when Hunny told Kyoya not to invite them.
"Please have a seat and we will get started," Kyoya said in a very business-like manner. When everyone was seated, he started, "As I have explained before, Tamaki is of the belief that one day his prodigal daughter will return to his embrace. So I do not think there will be too much of a problem with him. I do think the problem will come later. I cannot predict how he will react or if he will try to be controlling again. I am also assuming that he will be accepting of you returning to the fold."
Haruhi nodded, "Ok, I understand and if he does go off the deep end, I promise I will talk to you." She remembered the promise she made Kyoya and would not go back on her word. She was a little nervous about Tamaki and daddy-complex though.
"What's the plan Kyo-Chan?" Hunny asked sitting next to Haruhi and placing his hand on top of her two hands that were gripping each other so much her knuckles were turning white.
"Tamaki actually comes in tonight. He and I have plans for luncheon tomorrow at his estate at 1:00. I will pick all three of you up and we will go over there together. I don't foresee needing to use the same tactics we used on the twins, so we will go in there and talk to him. He will probably get a little excited. He might show a little anger, but he will not do anything to you. Mori, I am sure you remember what happened before, you may have to extract her from our former king. Hunny, you need to be on guard as well," Kyoya explained. Everyone nodded, it was a simple plan and knowing Tamaki, it was the best plan of action.
They talked about a few more things and agreed on the time to meet before Mori, Hunny, and Haruhi left Kyoya to his work. They had invited him to lunch, but he had another meeting to prepare for. The trio made their way out of the building and across the street to a nice restaurant in a building adjacent to Kyoya's headquarters.
Mori and Hunny knew that Haruhi was nervous and they did what they could to reassure her. She knew that she shouldn't worry so much, but it was hard especially after what happened the day before. She just hoped that it would not be as tense as it had been with the twins.
Kyoya picked Hunny and Mori up on the next day first. When the limo was on its way he turned to Hunny, "Do you want to tell us what happened with Haruhi and the twins?"
"Sorry Kyo-Chan, but I can't," Hunny replied quietly, his anger returning every time he thought about what happened.
"Can't or won't?" Kyoya asked. He noticed Mori nod. The taller man wanted to know also.
"Both, can't and won't. I promised her that I wouldn't tell and that she could tell you herself if and when she was ready."
"Ok, we will leave it for now, but do we need to protect her from the twins? They will be at the dinner next week."
"Yes we do," Hunny said balling his hands into fists. Nothing else was said on the drive to Haruhi's apartment.
Haruhi felt the tension in the air and knew from the looks Mori and Kyoya were giving her they wanted to know what was going on with her. She didn't say anything and just took her place next to Hunny on the way to Tamaki's house.
As the car pulled into the Suoh estate, Kyoya mumbled under his breath, "That moron!" The other three occupants looked out the window towards the front door and noticed the blonde anxiously waiting for his best friend to arrive. The limo stopped and Tamaki wrenched open the door before the driver could get out. Before anyone else could get out of the car or Tamaki could stick his head in, Kyoya got out of the car, "You know most people wait inside for their guests."
"Kyoya, I have missed you Mon Ami!" Tamaki said as he kissed each of his friend's cheeks.
Kyoya shoved Tamaki away from him, "I have brought some guests with me."
Tamaki looked towards the still open limo door and watched as Mori and Hunny emerged from inside the limo. He started to jump up and down about having his friends near him. Then he stopped and became a statue when Haruhi emerged. He squeaked, "My daughter?" before he promptly fainted in the drive way.
"Well that went better than I thought it would," Haruhi said sarcastically.
Mori picked Tamaki up off of the ground and the group made their way inside. They entered the drawing room and Mori placed his package on the couch.
After a couple of minutes, Tamaki woke up, got into a sitting position, and looked around the room. His eyes rested on Haruhi and his eyes grew. He opened his mouth to speak and immediately closed it. He was at a loss for words.
"Hi Tamaki," Haruhi said offering him a nervous smile.
"Ha-Haruhi?" Tamaki said confused.
"Yah, it's me."
"M-m-my daughter?"
"Yes, Tamaki it is Haruhi. She ran into Hunny at the beginning of this week and we felt it was an opportunity that we could not pass up," Kyoya said exasperatedly.
Tamaki stood up quickly and sat back down. He wasn't sure how he felt. Part of him was happy, but he still remembered what happened. Could he get past all of that? "Where's Yasu?" Tamaki sneered.
"Gone and in jail right now. We are not together any longer," Haruhi said quietly answering him.
"Oh, wait jail? What happened?" Tamaki bellowed.
"Long story short, he was an ass and not what I thought he was. He was controlling and thing got out of hand," Haruhi explained.
"So you are back and he is gone?" Tamaki asked hesitantly. He had seriously missed his daughter and wanted Haruhi back in his life, but he wasn't sure if he could believe it all yet.
"Yes, that is pretty much it," Haruhi said nodding her head.
Tamaki shot up from the couch and bounded over to the girl that was standing beside Hunny, "My daughter has returned!" He pulled her into his embrace and swung her around the room. Then reminiscent of old time, Mori pulled her out of Tamaki's arms and placed her behind him. "Mori, you didn't have to go that far," Tamaki gulped.
"I think he did Tamaki," Kyoya said plainly. "Now why don't we all sit down and talk over lunch."
Everyone agreed and Tamaki led them into the dining room. He couldn't take his eyes off of Haruhi. He wondered belatedly if he was dreaming, but knew that he wasn't. He did try to pinch himself after all.
The topics covered over lunch was kept light. They talked about what was going on in everyone's lives. Tamaki asked Haruhi a lot of questions about what she had been doing the last couple of years, but the topic of Yasu was avoided for now.
When lunch was done, they all moved back into the drawing room. Tamaki sat down in a chair across from where Haruhi and Hunny seated themselves on the couch. He was curious about how protective Hunny seemed to be, but kept his comments to himself right now. He looked directly at Haruhi, "So are you back permanently or passing through?"
Haruhi was a little taken aback because everything had been going so smoothly. It reminded her of how Hunny and Mori just opened their arms and accepted her. "I am back however you are willing to have me in your life. I have really missed my friends and want them back, but I know that there are some hurt feelings on both sides," she said quietly looking at him directly in the eye.
"Both sides? You are the one that left!" Tamaki expressed.
"Yes, but you were trying to control everything I did and who I was with. I didn't like that so I did what I thought was best. I learned that it wasn't, but that is why it happened," Haruhi retorted.
"We were only trying to protect you!"
"Yah, well you went a little overboard!"
"Tama-Chan, Haru-Chan we need to calm down. She is right Tama-chan. You need to listen to her," Hunny injected himself into the conversation.
"How can you say that Hunny?" Tamaki asked.
"He can say that Tamaki because it is true," Kyoya said calmly.
"No, we were protecting our daughter!" Tamaki yelled.
"We may have been protecting her, but we were a bit to controlling," Kyoya smirked.
Mori who had been silent much of the day, looked directly at Tamaki and said, "They are right."
Tamaki stopped and looked at all of the faces in the room. He knew he was outnumbered and he didn't quite understand. He had just wanted to protect his friend. He knew that Yasu was not the man for her. He thought about everything that happened before that last night together, maybe he did go overboard a little bit, but he didn't think that he was too controlling. "Fine if you say so," Tamaki pouted.
Haruhi suddenly started to giggle and that turned into a laugh, "You really haven't changed!"
Kyoya smirked, "Tamaki is definitely still Tamaki."
Hunny started to laugh next to Haruhi. Mori was laughing also and soon Tamaki perked up and joined in the laughter. The tension was broken and the mood mellowed.
"Have you seen the twins yet?" Tamaki asked when he was able to control himself again.
Hunny felt Haruhi stiffen next to him and grabbed her hand to give her support before he answered for her, "Yes, she saw them the last couple of days."
"Oh well then we should call them and invite them over and we can have a real reunion," Tamaki said standing up quickly.
"They will be at the dinner next weekend Tamaki. We can have our reunion then. I believe they were busy today," Kyoya explained trying to diffuse the situation. He had seen the brief panicked look on Haruhi's face. He really wanted to know what had happened.
Tamaki face fell, "Oh well if they are busy."
Haruhi squeezed Hunny's hand and sent Kyoya a grateful look. They really were there for her. "We can all get together next week like Kyoya said," Haruhi offered. That would give her a week to deal with things.
"You are right," Tamaki said softly before he seemed to perk up, "We need to get together and have some daddy/daughter time to catch up!"
After what happened with the twins, she did not want to have alone time with him. It wasn't him, she just wasn't sure if she was ready for that just yet. "I don't know. I am really busy right now," Haruhi said trying to think of some excuse.
"I see," Tamaki said narrowing his eyes on her.
"It has just been a long week for her Tama-Chan," Hunny tried to offer.
"Tamaki it has been an overwhelming week for her and all of us. It will take time on both sides. Haruhi I think you need to tell him the whole story," Kyoya said.
Haruhi nodded and started telling her story. The grip on Hunny's hand never let up and during some parts it tightened. When she was done, Hunny had given her a handkerchief and was trying to calm her down. He knew that it was hard for her to talk about, but it seemed to get a little easier for her each time.
Tamaki was shocked. He didn't know what to say. When he finally found his voice, he understood her hesitation, "Alright, we will take it slow."
The group hung out for a little bit longer, but Haruhi eventually needed to get home in order to get some things done around the house. They all said their good-byes and Haruhi promised she would think about meeting Tamaki for lunch one day during the following week. She knew that she would not go alone, but if Hunny could go with her, then she would seriously consider it.
Kyoya dropped Haruhi off at her apartment and Hunny got out with her. He wanted to make sure that she was alright, so he sent Kyoya and Mori on their way and joined Haruhi to spend a little more time with her.
Haruhi was happy that Tamaki seemed so accepting, but so did the twins. She was just unsure and a little scared after what happened. She would take it slow and hopefully with time she would feel comfortable with him again. Honestly, she was the most comfortable around Hunny than any of the others, but she was ok around Mori and Kyoya also. They had never done anything that made her fear anything and only seemed to protect her. Even Kyoya in his own way did what he could for her. Today had been a good day though and she smiled thinking about the day. In almost two years, Tamaki had not changed and she laughed. It was good to know that he was still the over-dramatic king of the host club.
Haruhi prepared tea for her and Hunny, her father wasn't home, but he should be home in time for dinner. She brought the tea into the living room and looked at Hunny. "If I went to lunch with Tamaki, would you go with me?" She asked timidly.
"I will do anything to make sure you feel safe again. If you want to have lunch with Tama-Chan, I will go with you," Hunny offered with a small smile.
She returned his smile, "Thank you." The couple finished their tea and when they were done, Haruhi addressed Hunny again, "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"I can stay. I love your cooking," he said excitedly.
Haruhi smiled and got up to start on dinner, "My dad should be home soon."
In fact as she finished cooking everything and setting it on the table, Ranka walked into the house, "Haruhi, my darling daughter, I am home!"
"Hi dad. You are just in time, I just finished dinner and put it on the table," Haruhi said from the living room.
Ranka walked into the living room and was surprised to see a dinner guest, "Hello. I am Ranka."
Haruhi snickered, "Dad, this is Hunny-senpai! You know him already."
"Mitsukuni? Oh my you have grown up. Look at how handsome you turned out!" Ranka exclaimed.
"Hi Ranka-Chan, it is good to see you again," Hunny said laughing.
Dinner was great. A good time was had by all and after the initial awkwardness felt by Haruhi, they laughed and had easy conversation. Ranka could tell that the young man cared about his daughter and hoped that he would be patient with her. She had been through a lot.
After dinner, Ranka left the two younger people and went to his room to give them some privacy. As much as Hunny wanted to stay, he knew it was best to go home so he got up to get ready to go. Haruhi walked him to the door and as they were saying their good byes she kissed his cheek and told him thank you.
Hunny walked out and got into the car that he had called. Her kisses always seemed to send him to lala land. He could only hope one day to have more of a real kiss and less of a friendship kiss.
Haruhi leaned against the door after she closed it and closed her eyes. She was really starting to crush on Mitsukuni Haninozuka. He did what he could to protect her and last night he chased away the dreams. Today he stayed with her and never left her side. Hunny had grown up and became a man while she was away. The question was could he be the man for her? Did he even want to be? Part of her hoped that he did. She pulled herself away from the door and went to clean up from dinner. She would put it to the back of her mind for now. She had other things that needed her attention.