Hi guys! So sorry! I had to re-upload right now since I forgot to add the first part of the chapter! Thank you itte'sasprite for pointing that out!
Finals are this week for me, so I might have some trouble keeping up the pace! I wanted to apologize in advance, but I will try my best to update daily! I wish everyone luck on their finals as well! Thank you guys so much!
"Hikaru! Kaoru," their mother called from downstairs. Mom's home early today? They simultaneously looked at each other, thinking the same thing, and curiously walked down the stairs.
"COMING," they shouted in unison.
"You overgrown kids," she laughed at the sight of her two beloved boys trying not to bump each other as they squeezed down the stairs. "Hey! Hey! I have a favor to ask you!"
"Mmm, yeah. What is it," Hikaru asked nonchalantly, walking towards the dining table having noticed a box of delicious looking fresh cookies.
"Kaoru! Stop that! I just baked those for my friend and business partner! You know her," she teasingly snapped, swatting his hand away from the box of cookies.
"Mom… I'm Kaoru. That's Hikaru," Kaoru weakly sighed from behind. He loved his mother more than he could imagine, but he despised the fact that his mother constantly got him and Hikaru mixed up. We aren't that similar, are we? "…Anyways what do you need?"
"Oh! Oh yeah! I need you boys to deliver these cookies and letter for me," she said wrapping up the cookie box. "It's for Mrs. Sato. You know, she only lives like two blocks away!" They quietly groaned. "Come on! She would love it if you guys went by and said hello! It's easy to find, just go down one block, and take a left, her house is in the corner. Now, off you boys go!" She forcefully handed them the box and the letter, and pushed them out the door. She giggled loudly, waving her boys out.
At that point, they really had no choice. Their mother was right; they should visit Mrs. Sato. She hadn't seen them since they were in the middle school. She was a kind and wealthy lady but with wealth came responsibility and barely any free time, but they finally had a chance to see her again. They should have been more excited.
"HIKARU! KAORU! You at you boys! You're men already!" She tightly embraced them, despite that they responded only halfheartedly. "Come on in!... SIT DOWN SIT DOWN!" She led them to her spacious living room with excitement and seated them on her couch. "What do you guys want to drink? Water? Coke? Ginger ale? Root beer? Tea?"
"Umm… root beer please," they mumbled in unison, to which she laughed.
She returned with a tray of two root beers and a hot cup of earl grey tea and sat on the couch across from them. "Mmm… How have you boys been," she asked, taking a sip of her tea.
"Oh we've been okay…" Kaoru murmured. "Oh Mrs. Sato… here! From our mother." He shyly handed her the box of beautifully assorted homemade cookies made personally by his mother.
"Awh! Please make sure you tell her I said thank you! She always bakes me things whenever she gets the time…," she smiled nostalgically and thankfully, recalling the innumerable years of friendship between her and their mother. They nodded. "Oh? By the way… Are you guys okay?" She looked at the orange haired twins who barely took a sip out of their drinks and quietly stared at their feet.
"We're fine," Hikaru claimed.
"But I know you're not… You guys are never this calm… ," she replied, her brows knitting and her head tilting slightly.
Kaoru knew she was right; they sucked at hiding things, as always, and when they sulked together, it was even more obvious. "… Mmm… what if we said we think our friend is lying to us about a situation…" Kaoru hesitantly said.
"Why would you ever think that?"
"...What if we met someone that told us a different story than what she said…"
"Hmm… Which one told it in more detail?"
"The other person…"
"Do you believe that your friend is honest?"
"…..Yeah…"
"Then why would you question her?"
"The other person said she was being nice to us because she wants to date us….. Because we're rich," Hikaru butt in, making no attempt to hide the hurt in his voice.
"Hahahaha! Is she poor?"
"Yes…" they mumbled, fearing her response.
"Well… Has she ever even tried to get with you guys? Asked you guys out?" They recalled their memories with her. What were they thinking? She never came running to them in tears. She hadn't clung onto them. She sat and slept in the back of the classes that they had together. She entered the host club knowing that they didn't find her attractive. She ate like a pig in front of them. She didn't try to flirt with them during their dance lessons. She was practically a guy to them. She was simply herself all the way, like Honey had said. "…Well? What's the answer?"
"…Nooo.…" they slowly said in unison, their lips slightly parting at the revelation.
...
"Yo! Yuubi," the Hitachiin twins called a little too cheerfully the next morning, approaching her desk in which she was napping.
"Mmm what…" the short haired girl groaned as she woke up and lazily lifted her head out of her arms. Her eyes were still squinted, and her vision was blurred. She groggily rubbed them to see the orange haired brothers, smiling at her. What? No.
"Let's go get lunch," Hikaru said, reaching for her arm.
She quickly pulled away. "No, I can't today….. I'm eating lunch in the art room. I have a lot of work to do for my midterm," she claimed coldly, shrugging at the two twins and avoiding eye contact. …Looks like I'm eating lunch alone at the art room.
"Are you sure," Kaoru asked, feeling that was just an excuse. "Is something wrong?" She paused at the statement. Is something wrong? Nothing is wrong, she thought sarcastically.
"Mmm. No? Nothing's wrong," she packed up her supplies, stood up from the chair, and slung her book bag over her shoulder. They looked at her in confusion. They approached her with kindness; they showed her that they forgave her. She should have been back to normal. "So I guess… I'll see you guys later at the host club." She halfheartedly lifted up a lazy hand before walking out the door.
At the art room, she began to eat her lunch: a smashed sandwich and a can of soda. "AAHAHA! MORI! Mori!" Her ears perked up as she heard Honey's voice in the distance. "HEHE I KNOW! I want to see it again too!" The voice was getting closer. Before she knew it, the two best friends were standing a few feet in front of her at the art room. Why. This is awkward, she thought, sitting before them.
"YUU-CHAN," Honey ran up to hug Yuubi, wrapping his arms around her neck. "I MISSED YOUU…"
"Oh… Why are you alone?" Mori spoke monotonously but concern was marked on his face.
"AHH! Honey senpai! Mori senpai," she laughed tensely. "I'm here to work on my midterm! What are you guys doing here?"
"Nee nee! Mori and I have been visiting the art room sometimes at lunch to see its progress! We really love it," Honey excitedly exclaimed.
"We hope you don't mind," Mori added, pulling up a stool beside her.
"Of course not! I can't believe you senpais would waste your time coming here," she laughed, taking a sip from her soda. Suddenly, a tray of katsu and rice was placed in front of her. "Huh? Mori senpai…"
"Eat"
"Hahaha! No it's fine!... Why do you have two lunches?"
"Accidentally bought another one," he explained casually. Honey looked towards him in a bit of surprise and warmly smiled; Mori was lying. He always bought two lunches for himself, but he knew if she knew that, she wouldn't take it. "I'll throw it away if you don't."
"Ahh! Don't throw it away Mori senpai! Are you sure you don't want it?!"
"YUU-CHANN! Just take it," Honey reassured, giggling and patting her on the back.
"Ahh! Honey senpai! Mori senpai! Thank you," she smiled.
Blahh. I don't want to go to the host club today or tomorrow… or any other day… if only I didn't break that vase… if only I didn't break that vase… If only she didn't actually care about repaying her debt, she wouldn't have to face the host club after school that day. But, nothing could stop her from paying it back down to the last penny; she always avoided mirroring her father's notorious unreliability. He had always been a man who threw around his words, a man who shamelessly grew a garden of debt, creating a backyard of burden for the whole family. She sighed heavily, and opened the doors of Music Room 3.
Huh? She actually came today. Judging by her personality, I thought she definitely would've ditched for a week or two, Kyoya thought, watching as she walked through the doors of the host club.
"Hey guys," she said taking a seat at her table. She sighed, another day chatting up ladies. After a long five sessions, she was done. They were done. The air was still tense, so she decided it was best to leave.
"Where are you going," Tamaki coldly asked as she walked towards the door. "You obviously need to help close."
"Ah… I thought it would be best if I left," she answered, laughing nervously. She hated this atmosphere.
"What's wrong with you," Hikaru butt in.
"What?!"
"Yeah, stop being like this! We forgave you," Kaoru seemed to plead.
At the statement, she couldn't help but laugh out of bafflement. "WHAT?!..." She was taken aback but responded with sass, "hahahhaha! Wow! did I even ask for forgiveness?!" Their eyes widened in shock. "Yeah, I mean sure… I get that you guys were worried, but stop being SO bipolar on me! It doesn't make any sense! It's annoying! What is up with you guys anyway? Your behavior towards me always changing, how do you expect me to react each time?" She was pissed off, but she still wished they would all just drop it.
The twins and the other members were left momentarily speechless. "Wow, her temper is colder than we thought," Kyoya chuckled on the side, whispering quite loudly to Haruhi's ear. He didn't care who heard him. It would've been more entertaining if his words did heat up the situation a little bit. Haruhi faced the member in the glasses nervously; it was so like him to find an argument between the members so funny rather than serious.
"We're sorry Yuubi... I guess… we just…. We just… got… a little… insec-… insecure…" Kaoru struggled to admit. It shocked Hikaru to see his brother pushing his pride aside and apologize after he had felt so heated, so right.
"So it wasn't true," Tamaki concluded, happily clapping in the background.
"Yeah….. We were…. just…. worried," Hikaru hesitated, looking away from her.
"Huh," Yuubi seemed to cross her arms, trying to process what she had just heard. She hadn't expected such a quick apology, especially not from them.
"Come on. They're apologizing," Haruhi pointed out to Yuubi in a stern voice. She knew how rare it was for the stubborn naive twins to own up to their mistakes.
She took a deep breath and crossed her arms, looking away from them. It was rare to see her angry, but even rarer to see her forgive others when she got so irritated. "… Ahh," she looked up at the ceiling, blinking multiple times. Their intentions were pure, she knew, but she was annoyed at the emotional roller coaster they took her on. It was best to forgive them. "… Well…. I guess…. I'm sorry too…..… for making you guys worry and all," she choked on her words, still avoiding their faces. She felt her face burning.
"No…. We're sorry," the twins stuttered looking to the sides of the room.
The three all refused to look at each other, blowing up their cheeks, embarrassed that they had just apologized for their actions they had, once before, deemed reasonable. There was a palpable and long silence in the room as the members stared at the three, frozen. She suddenly realized the situation; she felt a tingle run up her back and her throat tickling her and urging her to laugh at the awkwardness and stupidity of it all. She wanted to – no, she did. She broke out into a fit of laughter. "Hahahahaha guys….. AAAHAHAH!... we're all …. so… AHAHAHAH!... stubborn," she laughed. What… the… the other members now stared at her with blank faces, with a sweat drop running down the back of their heads in unison. Oh dear, is she just as crazy, Haruhi wondered, staring at the girl laughing her head off.