THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I knew that I had the best readers out there and I was right. Another Chance won Best Ouran High School Host Club Best FanFiction of 2012. It is all due to you and I am forever grateful for your votes and support. THANK YOU! This chapter is dedicated to all of you.
A/N: I decided to update this chapter early as a thank you for the votes and support for this story. You are awesome! A special thanks to rephiamluvers123 for deciding to do the awards. I think it is a good way to give props to stories and authors you like. Now that Haruhi has decided to assert her independence, how are Hunny and Kyoya going to react. Hopefully Haruhi won't get too violent with her friends; she has to save something for Yasu. LOL. Enjoy and thank you again!
Chapter 44 – I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar
Haruhi had stayed with Satoshi and Chika until it was time to leave for Kyoya's office. When she walked inside the house, Hunny was waiting for her and immediately ran towards her. Holding up her hand, she stated, "We need to go."
Hurt flashed across Hunny's face, but he understood why she was acting the way she was. He broke a promise to her and she was angry. He couldn't blame her and the only thing he could do was try to make it up to her. He just wondered if she was willing to listen to him and give him another chance. Without touching her, he escorted her out to the car and got in after her. When they were on their way, he looked at her profile as it gazed out the window and apologized quietly since the security team was in the car with them, "I really am sorry Haru-Chan."
Haruhi never turned around when she responded bluntly and with a touch of coldness, "I know."
Nothing else was said by either party and no one made a move to touch each other. It was obvious that they were fighting and that the tension was thick.
When they pulled up to the Ootori office building, two of the body guards got out first. After they gave the all clear, Hunny and Haruhi got out of the car. Hunny tried to offer Haruhi his hand in order to help her, but she refused his offer. The status of their relationship was swirling around his in mind; hindsight really was 20/20 and he knew that this could have put a wedge between them the likes that meant he had possibly lost her forever.
The small contingent made their way into the building quickly so that they were not in the open too long. If Yasu was trying to get guns, there were more resources than just calling the Yakuza. When they stepped out of the elevator onto Kyoya's floor, Mori was already there waiting for them and together they all walked towards the shadow king's office. Kyoya may have been the shadow king, but Ouran's third demon was about to make an appearance.
As Hunny, Haruhi, and Mori made their way into the office and closed the door behind them, Kyoya knew immediately that something was wrong. He knew that it probably had something to do with the decisions and actions he took on her behalf. Of course he put Hunny in the middle of it all by discussing it with him instead of Haruhi, but these decisions needed to be done in order to make sure she remained protected. "Hello everyone," Kyoya greeted his friends as they all sat down in the sitting area of the room.
"Hi, Kyo-Chan," Hunny muttered as he sat down on one of the couches sounding a little down.
"Kyoya," Mori said. He knew something was going on with Hunny and Haruhi, but he wasn't sure what it was yet. Somehow he knew if he waited, he would find out in this very meeting.
Glaring at Kyoya, Haruhi growled, "Kyoya, before we start, I have some things that I want to say to you arrogant assholes."
Sighing almost imperceptibly, Mori didn't think it would happen this quickly, but apparently Haruhi was at her limit and did not want to wait to speak her mind. Well, at least he didn't have to wait to find out what the situation was; and from her words and the way she sounded, whatever happened was bad.
Kyoya pushed up his glasses and studied the girl sitting across from him. She sat in a chair by herself and nowhere near her boyfriend. He knew it was going to be unpleasant, but he had hoped that Hunny would have been able to reason with her. Sighing, he decided this was Haruhi, he should have known better because she never acts like he predicts she will, "You have the floor."
Narrowing her eyes on her friend, the words and frustrations started to flow out of her mouth, "You sit there in your chair all high and mighty and make decisions that affect millions of people. You have to as heir of the Ootori zaibatsu, but how dare you and Mitsukuni make decisions that affect my life without consulting me. Did you think I was too simple minded to know what I needed to do or to know what was best for me? Did you think that I was too afraid to be able to think clearly? Did I have a lobotomy and not know about it? When I came back into the fold, did I sign away my life and my decision making ability? Well did I?" Haruhi was yelling and she didn't care.
"No, Haru-Chan you didn't. It is just that…" Hunny tried to placate her, but the dark aura and evil glare she was sending his way, made him choke on his words.
"Now Haruhi, I had to act quickly and make judgments that would benefit you the most," Kyoya stated calmly.
The dark aura grew, "You had time and forethought to discuss all of this with my boyfriend, but you couldn't talk to me? What kind of bullshit is that? If you hadn't noticed we are in the 21st century and women can make their own choices! IT IS MY LIFE AND I KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR ME! I AM A FUCKING ADULT NOW AND NEITHER ONE OF YOU ARE MY FATHER!"
"We know that, but there were security concerns with your other internship," Kyoya injected trying to maintain his cool.
"So you decided to find me a new internship and turn in my resignation for me before I was informed? If I had done something like that to you, you would have had my head or deported me! When I came back into the group, you and I met and you told me to talk to you if I felt like any of you were being too controlling before I just walked away. WELL GUESS WHAT? GOING BEHIND MY BACK THE WAY YOU DID IS OVER THE TOP AND CONTROLLING YOU RICH BASTARD! This is worse than anything you or Mitsukuni have ever done before. In fact, it might be worse than Tamaki because at least with him he didn't take the choice from me, he just tried to pressure me into do what he wanted! What you did is more on par with Yasu," Haruhi sneered.
Jaw tightening, Kyoya winced at her words. He knew that she would be upset, but he didn't expect for her to lash out the way she was. Trying to tell himself, she was saying those things because she was on the warpath, he pushed up his glasses and stated, "I can understand that you are angry at what happened, but I think it is best that we all calm down and talk about this rationally."
"You want me to be rational? Then you shouldn't have stabbed me in the back the way you did!" Haruhi bellowed standing up and looking down at Kyoya. She was huffing and felt like she was out of breath from her rampage.
Hunny stood up and walked over to Haruhi, placing his hand on her shoulder, "We are sorry Haruhi."
Shrugging his hand off of her, she turned her glare onto her boyfriend. Speaking low and through clenched teeth, she demanded through clenched teeth, "Do not touch me." She watched as Hunny's hand dropped to his side and his head hung low. When he was once again seated, she turned her fury back onto Kyoya, "Do you really think you did nothing wrong? You said you understood why I left the way I did. You also said that you didn't want me to act like a child and storm off when I didn't get my way, but if you really understood it all, you wouldn't have done what you did. I am not a child and yet you treated me like one when you decided to keep me in the dark about what you were doing. If this is the way our friendship is going to be, then I am through! I don't need you or any of the others if you don't have enough decency to talk to me about things!" She could feel the sting of tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
All three men in the room visibly flinched at the venom and hurt in Haruhi's words. Mori couldn't believe that Hunny and Kyoya had taken it upon themselves to make rulings about Haruhi's life path without talking to her first. Even if it was in her best interest, she needed to be the one that chose her own road to travel. Standing up and walking over to Haruhi, Mori pulled her into his embrace; he felt like she needed to know that someone was in her corner right now. She tried to push him away and fight his hold, but in the end, she sagged against him and he bent down to whisper, "They love you and were worried. I am not saying that they didn't go about this the wrong way, but they care for your well-being and just want to be sure you are safe. They were stupid and acted without considering your feelings on the matter. You have your trust issues and they have their issues about losing their friends and loved ones. Kyoya was never close with anyone before the host club, and Mitsukuni lost you once before. Breathe deep and calm yourself. We will work through this, and I think they understand your point now."
Haruhi inhaled and exhaled with Mori, and soon felt soothed by her friend. "Thank you Mori," Haruhi whispered back as her dark aura started to recede.
Placing himself behind Haruhi, he put his hands on her shoulders and stated, "Now, let's continue."
"I apologize for taking the initiative and making decisions for you without your input. My first thought was concern for your welfare and I did what I thought would protect you the most," Kyoya said softly, her words still stinging.
"I am sorry too Haruhi. We should have talked to you about everything first and we didn't. We were just worried about what Yasu is capable of and wanted to make sure that he could not touch you again," Hunny declared with a bit of venom in his voice at the thought of what Yasu had done to her.
Looking behind her, Haruhi's eyes met those of her tall stoic friend. When he nodded, she turned back to the other two men in the room, "I need to know that you support me, but will not try to control my life. I need to be able to depend on you and talk to you without you trying to take over and treat me like a child. This situation is crazy enough without adding more stress and anger into the mix, but I need my friends at my side and not people that will take away whatever freedom and decision making ability I have left. If you cannot at least talk to me first, then I don't need you in my life. I think I have proven time and time again that if you talk to me logically, I will listen. I have had enough of assholes trying to control my life; I will not hesitate to cut the disease out of my life no matter how much I love you or want your friendship. You have to decide if you can look at me as an equal or if you are going to walk away from this friendship. The ball is in your court now." She walked up to Hunny and said, "I love you, but if you cannot trust me to make good choices, then this cannot work between us." Giving her attention to Kyoya, she told him, "I know that you are used to making decisions and making sure things happen, but you cannot leave me out of the loop if it concerns me. If you do, then you are not a real friend of mine."
"I'm sorry Haru-Chan. I know that you can make your own decisions and such, but it is hard to not act if I know it will protect you that much more. I trust you, I just don't trust the world out there, but you are right and from now on we will talk about everything going forward," Hunny addressed the girl standing next to him as he stood up to be on her level. Lacing his fingers with her, he was relieved when she did not pull back, "I really am sorry about everything."
Nodding, Haruhi whispered, "Okay." She squeezed his hand and immediately found herself in his arms. It felt like a good place to be as she turned her gaze upon Kyoya anticipating his response to her declarations.
Kyoya scrutinized the girl in his friend's arms and gave her a small smile, "I apologize again for my actions. You are right, and I promise to treat you like an adult instead of a child going forward. You are also correct in the fact that I am not your father, and I believe you have enough of those between Ranka and Tamaki. I know you are a capable young woman and can make logical decisions when presented with the facts. I'm sorry for doubting you, but does this mean that you are not accepting our internship?"
Shaking her head, Haruhi chuckled. Kyoya was now and has always been the shadow king, "I will accept your internship. I am not stupid. It is a safer building and a more prestigious legal team."
The smile turning into a full fledge smirk, Kyoya pompously stated, "Of course it is."
"Of course," Haruhi muttered sarcastically and chuckled once again. Kyoya was still Kyoya after all.
"Well now that we got that out of the way, let us discuss the plan Kasanoda and I developed last night," Kyoya ordered. He told them everything that had been discussed with the Yakuza leader, and then outlined the plan that would hopefully capture Yasu and get him out of everyone's lives.
"Do you really think it will work Kyoya?" Haruhi asked a little skeptical. It wasn't that the plan wasn't good, it was, but she also knew that Yasu could be tricky when he wanted to be. That was obvious since no one had been able to find him since he was released from jail.
Sighing, Kyoya replied, "I am not going to lie to you. There is a large margin for error and the unknown. We know that he is charismatic and can get people to bend to his will without much effort, but we are optimistic about it. I do want to warn you that there is always the chance that he will not be captured, and until we actually have him in Ootori custody, we need to remain on guard and be careful."
"Right Kyo-Chan!" Hunny agreed.
Mori nodded and asked, "When will everything happen?"
"It goes down in two more days. Let's just hope we can get him. I will have officers station throughout the area in case he sends someone else to the drop. I believe that he is cocky enough that if he did that, he would want to watch everything happen," Kyoya explained.
"Won't he be able to get out again? We can't prove anything and the hat is circumstantial at best. The police will say that because we didn't see him, we can't confirm that Yasu is the one that threw it," Haruhi stated thinking like a lawyer.
Kyoya pushed his glasses up and sneered, "Who said anything about turning him over to Tokyo PD?"
Chills raced up and down Haruhi's spine. There were some things that she was better off not knowing, and she had just reached that line when it came to the future of Yasu Sato. She did know that once caught, Yasu would never bother her again. "Um okay," Haruhi said with an air of trepidation surrounding those two words.
"Well if that is all for that meeting, I do believe that Mori, Hunny, and I have another guest waiting," Kyoya announced as he glanced at his watch. Gazing at Haruhi, he said, "My assistant will escort you to the legal department and help you get situated and introduced. If you need anything, call one of us."
Haruhi narrowed her eyes at her friend knowing that he was ultimately dismissing her and basically telling her to get lost. Leaning over to whisper in Hunny's ear, she asked, "Will you tell me all about it later?"
Laughing, Hunny nodded. He wasn't about to keep her in the dark again and risk losing her. Briefly he wondered if her question had been a test to see what he would do.
"Good," Haruhi murmured before standing up and moving towards the door with Kyoya following her.
"If there are any problems, call me. Everything should be taken care of though," Kyoya told her.
"Okay. One question though… Is my work and internship two separate things? I wanted to know if I was going to work on legal stuff or your stuff," Haruhi inquired.
"Actually you will work on both, so in a sense your job and internship will intersect at times," Kyoya explained as he opened the door for her. When he looked outside, he saw Daisuke flanked by Tachibana and his other guards. Haruhi's were standing closest to the door waiting for her to exit. Watching as Haruhi walked off with her security team, Kyoya ordered, "Come in." It was time for the next meeting to begin.
The three body guards escorted Daisuke into Kyoya's office and towards an empty chair. Although the accommodations were more comfortable than Black Onion Squad headquarters, Daisuke was under no false assumptions as to what this really was, another interrogation.
"Daisuke, it is good of you to join us today. You remember my friends, Hunny and Mori don't you?" Kyoya asked with false politeness.
"I do. What can I help you with Ootori-sama?" Daisuke retorted. He knew that Kyoya had been having him followed and was anxious to get to the heart of the matter. Honestly, he was terrified of the youngest member of the Ootori family and did not want to cross him.
Leering at his prey, Kyoya pushed his glasses up once again to catch the glare of the light, "I just have some simple questions for you."
Gulping, Daisuke knew that he was the antelope and Kyoya was the lion, "I will answer to the best of my ability Ootori-sama."
"Excellent, then let us begin. Why did you go to Haruhi Fujioka's apartment yesterday?" Kyoya inquired.
"I wanted to talk to her about Yasu, to get her side of the story from her. My cousin said that she lied and I wanted to hear it from her what really happened. Not from pictures that you placed in front of me, but from the source," Daisuke answered truthfully. He was starting to question his favorite cousin and best friend, and was confused. He wanted answers about what really happened that night just as much as Kyoya wanted answers today.
"As you may have guessed, she was not home. We have taken her to stay at an undisclosed location until your cousin is back in custody."
"What was she doing here then?" Daisuke asked confused about seeing the girl walk out of his employer's office. He wanted to speak up then, but knew it was not the time.
"She is not a prisoner, and can leave if and when she needs or wants to," Kyoya glared.
"Sorry Ootori-sama for my impertinence," Daisuke said as he bowed feeling chastised.
Kyoya waived him off in order to ask the other questions, "Where is your cousin? I know that he has tried to contact you on numerous occasions."
"I wish I knew, but unfortunately I do not. I have been ignoring his calls and he has not left me a number or a location in order to get in touch with him. I thought I saw him yesterday when I was at Fujioka's apartment, but the runner got away before I could catch up to him," the officer was not surprised that Kyoya asked about the calls, or that he even knew that his cousin had tried to contact him.
"You have been asking around about the night your cousin landed himself in jail. Is this in order to discover the truth for yourself?"
"Yes, sir. I am sorry, but I needed to know what really happened. I did not go to Fujioka until I had talked to some of the officers that responded to the call that night. Most of the reports I have received contradict what my cousin has told me."
"Of course it does because he is a liar and a manipulator," Kyoya sneered. He could tell the other man wanted to still believe in his cousin and was having a hard time accepting that his cousin may not be the saint Daisuke has pictured in his mind.
Looking down at his hands folded in his lap, Daisuke stated, "No offense sir, but he has been in my life ever since I can remember and was my best friend growing up. It is hard to for me to think that he is different than what I have always known. I needed to find out the truth for myself."
"And what did you find out?"
Daisuke took in a deep breath and released it slowly, "According to the people I talked to, Fujioka was beaten and shaken up pretty badly. Her clothes were torn from her body and she was a complete mess physically and mentally from an attempted rape. They praised her for being able to think clearly in that situation and defend herself at the best possible time in order to get away. They continued to say that Yasu kept screaming that he was going to 'get that bitch and slut', and that he yelled that she wanted it so it wasn't rape. Then he apparently changed his story to one of he didn't do anything to her period."
Mori's head snapped up and he looked at Kyoya and Hunny gaging their reactions to this latest bit of news. They were not surprised at all, and that told Mori that they already knew how bad the situation really was between Haruhi and Yasu. He understood why they hadn't told him, they probably hadn't told the others either, but now more so than before, he wanted to kill Yasu for hurting Haruhi the way he did.
Hunny and Kyoya knew that Mori was probably shocked at the information he just heard. Neither had thought to tell him before this meeting and when they glanced at Mori, his face may have been expressionless, but his eyes and mouth told a different story. His eyes were narrowed and held a hard glint in them, while his mouth was set in a firm line as his jaw was clenched. No, the tall man was not taking the news very well. They turned their attention back to Daisuke.
"Did you know that your cousin is trying to obtain a couple of guns and information on my friends and me? What do you think about the reports you have heard about that night?" Kyoya asked trying to get through this meeting as soon as possible.
"He what?! Um, it goes against everything I know about Yasu, but out of the six or so officers I talked to, all of the reports were the same," he felt the floor had been taken out from under him and he was falling fast.
"Do you believe them? As for the guns, yes it is true. He contacted the Kasanoda syndicate in order to buy guns and information. Luckily, the head of that Yakuza group is another friend from school."
Daisuke was in shock. He couldn't believe that his cousin would go to such lengths, but then again, he was finding out that he may not really know his cousin at all. Now the million dollar question was did he believe his cousin or did he believe the police? He had fought not to lose his faith in his cousin, but between the letter Yasu asked him to deliver and the police reports and now the Yakuza situation, he felt his loyalty and belief in his cousin shaken to the very core. Gazing out the window to look upon Tokyo, Daisuke quietly spoke, "I want to believe him still because he is family and a friend, or so I thought, but now I just don't know if I can." Moving his eyes to look Kyoya in the eye, he quickly stood up and bowed on the floor prostrate, "I know that I cannot watch Fujioka because of my family connection to her, but I have always been loyal to the Ootori police force. I would like another chance to prove myself and my worth to you."
Kyoya knew that the man addressing him was a good officer and up until his involvement with Yasu, had been loyal to the force, but did the man deserve a second chance. Thinking about it for a couple of minutes, the thought that finally helped him make a decision was Haruhi. She had given him and the other hosts another opportunity to be her friends and part of her life, just as they did for her. Speaking up, Kyoya stated, "You will be put on probation for the next six months. I would recommend you think about whom you are truly loyal to before you do something stupid again. I will not offer another chance again and you do not want to know what will happen if you go against orders again."
With his face still buried in the floor, Daisuke rushed, "Thank you Ootori-sama. I will not let you down again!"
"If you hear from your cousin or if you hear anything about him, you are to let me know immediately," Kyoya ordered.
"I will do that Ootori-sama!" Daisuke exclaimed.
"Then you are dismissed. Report to headquarters tomorrow morning, and I will inform them that your suspension has been lifted. Remember that I will be watching you, and you are to stay away from Haruhi Fujioka," Kyoya demanded of his subordinate.
Daisuke got back on his feet and bowed once more, "I will do as you order master."
The trio of friends watched as Daisuke was escorted out of the office by Kyoya's bodyguards. They were no closer to finding Yasu than they were before the meeting, but hopefully they would get some information from Daisuke in the near future.
"You knew about what really happened," Mori declared. It was not a question; it was a statement of fact.
Turning sad eyes onto his cousin, Hunny said, "I did. The night that we found her in the closet screaming, she told me everything, but she didn't want the others to know. Kyo-Chan suspected that something like that had happened and we talked about it the day of the park incident. I'm sorry I didn't tell you Takashi, but it was Haru-Chan's story to tell."
Nodding, Mori understood and agreed. He would not force the issue, and he knew better than to question how Kyoya got any of his information. "I understand. She needs to be cherished and kept safe. Do not go behind her back again. She is right when she said it puts you at their level," Mori uttered.
"We know, Takashi," Hunny sighed still feeling horrible for what he did to her.
"Indeed we do," Kyoya muttered. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Is there anything else we needed to discuss?" Hunny and Mori looked at each other and then shook their heads. Since everything seemed to be resolved for now, Kyoya said, "Well then I think we can go find Haruhi and see how she is getting along in her new position."
The three friends stood and started to walk out of the office. Hunny and Kyoya still stung from Haruhi's harsh words, but neither could fault her for what she said. They deserved them. Mori was surprised Haruhi hadn't decked either of them, but that was not who she was. One thing was for sure, all three of them learned never to cross Haruhi Fujioka. Her words could slice you up faster than a sword.