A/N: Hello again! I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Years! Unfortunately, winter break is ending for me soon (ew school). I would've had this chapter out earlier but my phone fUKCING DELETED IT! *coughs* It's okay though, I made it work. In fact, I think my rewrite is better than the original. Special thanks go to jinkiestrap, TheAlleyCat18, ToriBlock, Mizzimus, GrammaticallyWrong, and Die-Hard-Twi-Hard-13 for following and faving!
YuYuHakushoObssesser: Here you go!
abblesindatardis: Thank you so much! I'm honored you like my story so well. I hope to never let you down! *bows*
rottieangel (Chapter 6): Glad you liked it!
Secret Companion: Thank you! More will definitely come!
GramaticallyWrong: Thank you so much, you have no idea how happy your review made me! And I do the same thing with reviewing on fanfics, I like to collect my thoughts as a whole before giving feedback. And I greatly appreciate any and every review and piece of feedback I get. It makes me feel happy and helps me improve as a writer. Hope you like this chapter just as much as the others!
It was now summer break. Lorena had taken the last week off of school to travel to America to try and get her father to back off on the whole "moving back home" deal. Lord knows she wasn't about to spend her time there voluntarily and on her break.
While she was in America, she spent a good majority of her time with Nate and Michael and her godchildren, Adam and Emma. The kids had come out of their shells completely and absolutely adored Lorena, who returned the affections tenfold. Michael was supposed to be deployed again, within days in fact. The life of an army doctor was a busy one. Nate wasn't very happy about it, but he understood why he had to do it.
On the third day of her being in America, Elena had made a surprise visit only to be surprised herself when she saw Lorena was there. Lorena caught her older sister up on the latest happenings of her life over lunch. Ever the understanding one, she sided with Lorena on the issue with their father. They talked about anything and everything from Elena's quickly ending college life to boy crushes. The latter Lorena adamantly refused to say anything about, but Elena poked and prodded until she figured it out on her own. She then proceeded to relentlessly tease her about it.
"Let's make a bet." Elena suddenly suggested, a conniving look on her face.
"Noooo." Lorena dragged out the word to emphasize her point.
"Oh come on~!" Elena whined, a pleading look now dominating her face, "It'll be just like old times~!"
"Oh, you mean like when I would lose every single time and end up doing something absolutely humiliating? Or something reckless that ended in a trip to the hospital?" Lorena sassed back.
"Hey, that roof thing was all you. I didn't tell you to jump off of it, I just said, 'I bet you can't beat me to the ground.'" Elena defended herself.
"I won though!" Lorena laughed over the rim of her water bottle. They laughed at the memory of their father's face when they did that. She had broken her arm because of her bad landing. They were grounded for a week after that, but it was totally worth it.
"But seriously, I bet that I can get dad and Theresa off your back for two weeks before you can." Elena challenged.
Lorena narrowed her eyes at her sister, "What's the catch?"
Elena smiled innocently, "If I win, I get to dress you up the day you go back to Japan to your friends. No complaints either."
"Fine, and if I win, you have to lay off on the teasing about my friends and you have to talk to that guy you like."
Elena thought it over, "It's settled then?"
Lorena smirked, "You're on." They did the traditional fist bump to officiate the bet.
~Time Skip~
Haruhi didn't know if she wanted to scream, cry, laugh like a lunatic, or all of the above. Her so called "friends" had tracked her down and were now trying to completely ruin her vacation. If only Lorena were here, she would put them in their place. If anything, she would've taken up that one open room so they'd all have to leave. Since the twins reminded her of the cell phone she borrowed from them, she wondered if Lorena had tried to contact her at all yet. Sure summer vacation had only just started for them, but Lorena had been gone the whole week before them. Sure enough, there were a couple texts and one missed call from her.
Rena: 'Hey Haru-chan, how's Hell?'
Rena: 'Why are you ignoring me?'
Rena: 'Are you mad at me?'
Rena: 'Oh, your phone is off isn't it?'
Rena: 'Call me if you need me.'
So Haruhi did just that. Managing to slip away with the excuse that she had to use the restroom, she called her friend in hopes of a rescue.
"Hello?" Lorena answered.
"Rena-chan, thank God! You've got to help me!" Haruhi pleaded.
"Woah woah, what's wrong Haruhi? Are you okay?" Concern filled her voice.
"They've infiltrated my vacation! It's like no matter what I do, they're always there! I can't get rid of them!" Haruhi lamented, sitting on the counter next to the sink.
"Oh..." Lorena understood now, "The guys found you, huh? Not to worry, I'm in a cab right now on my way to my hotel."
"Huh?! You mean you're back!?" Haruhi asked excitedly. She missed her best friend after all.
Lorena laughed, "Yup! Creature and I have returned! Think you can survive twenty more minutes?"
Haruhi sighed, "I'm not sure..."
Lorena laughed again at her friend's antics, "You'll be fine! And don't tell the guys yet, I want to surprise them." Mischief snuck its way into her voice.
Haruhi agreed and they said their goodbyes.
~Time Skip of About Fifteen Minutes~
Lorena decided to walk from her hotel to the pension house that Haruhi was staying in. After all, it was a nice day, it wasn't too far away, and Creature could use the exercise after being on their private jet for hours.
She checked her phone to see that she still had five minutes left to get there. She was only a few blocks away, so she decided to slow her pace and stroll through the lovely city of Karuizawa.
She had Creature on a long black leash who was on high alert for any threats that may present themselves. This was a new place, he didn't know any of these people or this land. His one and a half ears stood ram-rod straight, head swiveling back and forth.
The pair of them were attracting many stares and whispers. This was mainly due to Creature's menacing look, with his muscles and his scars. It was also partly due to the fact that the person holding the end of his leash was a skinny girl who looked to be dressed for a party.
You see, Lorena was keeping up her losing streak when it came to bets with her older sister. Eh, winning was overrated anyways.
Because she lost the bet that meant her sister got to dress her up and she wasn't allowed to complain about it. Elena dressed her up in a strapless black dress that flared out at the waist with a lace pattern that ended just above her knees, a small pink belt, matching black heels with red undersides, a black leather clutch, blonde hair curled to perfection, and professionally done makeup.
She had to admit, she did feel pretty. Especially with her blood red lipstick. That, and it was always amusing to be the opposite of what people expect. Even when it was as simple as walking Creature.
They were halfway there when a little old woman called out to her. "Excuse me, young lady?" Lorena looked around to see if she was talking to someone else, not seeing anyone else who was paying any attention to her, she pointed at herself in question. The old lady laughed lightly, "Yes, you. Would you mind terribly coming over here for a moment?" If she were on her own, Lorena would've politely refused, but she had Creature there to protect her. So far, he seemed fine with her, so she must not be a threat. She walked closer to the little old lady's stall of flowers. "Oh! You are a very beautiful young lady! You remind me so much of my daughter."
Lorena smiled politely, "Thank you very much ma'am."
The old lady laughed again, "And so polite too! I'm sorry to have bothered you, you look like you're off to a date."
Lorena chuckled, "No, just going to meet my friends."
"Oh, in that case, I won't keep you long. I just thought such a beautiful young lady deserves an equally beautiful flower. Here." She handed her a purple iris. "It symbolizes hope." Lorena looked up at her, confused. "I know that grief in your eyes. Not many could spot it, but I have a good eye for those types of things. I just wanted you to know that I've been where you are, and things do get better. There is hope for the future."
Lorena smiled bittersweetly at the woman. "Thank you for your kind words. May I also buy a dozen daisies for my friend?"
"Of course dear." Lorena paid the woman and went on her way. With the iris tucked behind her ear, she did feel a little bit better. Just a bit.
Soon enough, they arrived at the bed and breakfast. Not seeing anyone she recognized in the front, she decided to look for her friends on her own. Creature took off running after a rabbit, ripping the leash from Lorena's grip. It stung her hands, but luckily it wouldn't leave a mark. 'Well, there's no way I'm going to be running after him in heels.' She thought. Knowing he'd come back soon enough, she went on her way into the building.
Stepping inside, she got a cozy feeling from the place. Homely. She jumped back when a middle aged transvestite popped up in front of her. "Oh my~! What a beautifully refreshing young lady~! Do you have a reservation?"
Overwhelmed by this man's sudden presence, she stuttered, "U-Uh, no. I'm a friend of Haruhi Fujioka. My other friends should also be here..."
"Oh! You mean those gorgeous young men who are helping me around the place~? They're outside darling, do you want me to show you?"
"No no, you don't have to. I'm gonna surprise them."
"Oh! Looks like some of them are right out there!" He observed, pointing out of the window on the right.
Directly in front of the window was a shirtless Takashi chopping wood for some reason. Woah... Wait, why is he chopping wood in summer? She could feel her blush spreading from her cheeks to her ears, down her neck, and stopping at the middle of her chest. Sure, she'd seen him shirtless when they were at the waterpark and the beach, but this was different. The way his sweat glistened on his skin, the way his jeans hung low on his hips, the way his muscles rippled with his movements- Goddamnit hormones, not now. Picking her jaw up from off the floor, Lorena quickly backed out of the building and away from Misuzu-chi's amused gaze.
She was walking around the side of the building towards her friends when she was passed by a running Creature. He ran up to Haruhi, her being the one person there that he knew best. "Huh? Creature? How did you get here? You still have your leash on... Where's Rena?" Haruhi asked him as she scratched his head.
"You called?" Lorena answered cheekily, stepping around the corner and into their sight. Immediately, she was tackled by two redheaded twins. "Hey! You guys almost knocked me down! You get this dress dirty and I'll break your arms off and beat you with them!" Her threat was only laughed off by them.
"Rena-chan already sleeps with us, we've liked her from the beginning." They said in their usual unison.
She narrowed her eyes at their grins. "What? Where did this come from? Don't touch me anymore you perverts."
Lorena was yanked away from the twins by Tamaki who spun her around in his usual fashion, squeezing all the air out of her lungs. He was going on and on about something along the lines of, "You're never allowed to leave your father for so long again." And "Precious daughter." Lorena couldn't make out half of his incoherent babble.
Then she was then twirled away from Tamaki by Kyoya who dipped her low like they just finished the tango or something. "What are you doing?" Lorena asked him with a mix of fear, confusion, and disgust dripping from her words.
He fake-smiled at her, "Can't I welcome my friend home?"
"Not if you look like you plan to murder me later..." Lorena deadpanned.
Then she was pulled by her wrist away from Kyoya and caught Honey who was hugging her around her neck. "Why're you all dressed up, Rena-chan? Are you going somewhere?" He asked with a cute head tilt.
Lorena let out a frustrated sigh, "No, I lost a bet."
"Oh. You look really pretty in it! You should lose bets more often!" He complimented innocently.
He was then pulled away by Haruhi who gave her friend a normal hug. Poor Lorena was so dizzy from all the twirling and spinning and yanking that she couldn't see straight. It was a wonder she hadn't broken a heel or something. "I got you some flowers Haru-chan." Lorena held up the slightly-crumpled-but-still-okay bouquet to her friend. She accepted them gratefully.
Shaking off the dizziness, Lorena saw Takashi-in all his shirtless glory-standing there waiting patiently for his hug. "Uh uh big man, you're all sweaty. Get cleaned up, then you can have your hug or whatever." So he left to do just that.
~Time Skip~
Lorena was sitting in the dining area texting Elena on her phone and giving her aching feet a rest.
Lorena: Do I really have to wear these damn things all day? They're killing my feet.
Elena: Yes! They look amazing on you! And stop being such a baby, you're lucky it's only for one day.
Lorena: Ugghh
She stopped texting when she felt a large hand rest on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Takashi standing behind her, having cleaned up and put a shirt back on. She happily stood up and threw her arms around his neck. Even with the heels on, the top of her head was still an inch shorter than where the top of his shoulder was. She joked, "You're too tall! Shrink dangit!" With his arms around her midsection, he lifted her up a good four inches off the ground. Squeaking when he did, she held on tighter, which was exactly what he wanted her to do. He loved the feeling of her in his arms and her arms wrapped around him, so he was going to make the most of this opportunity. "Heh, that works too, I guess." She said nervously. He gently set her back down and took the seat on the other side of the table. "So, tell me about this contest thing you guys are doing."
Not long after they had started talking, Tamaki came in and began playing the piano, which attracted a lot of attention from passers and the people in their rooms.
The sun was setting, and both Lorena and Creature were tired with jetlag. Honey came over to the pair of them and tugged on the end of Lorena's dress. "Ne, Rena-chan, would you like to stay with us in our cottage? It'll be a lot of fun!"
She smiled down at the third-year, "Sorry Honey, I've already paid for my reservation at the hotel I'm staying in, and all my stuff is there. Maybe next time, okay?" He looked disappointed, but nodded anyways, hoping that "next time" would come soon. "Speaking of, I should really get back to my hotel. Creature and I are pretty tired. We'll see you guys tomorrow?"
"Definitely!" Honey giggled. "Want us to give you a lift there?"
"If it's not too much trouble..." Lorena trailed off.
"It's not~! Right Takashi?" Takashi nodded his agreement, he'd feel much better knowing where she was staying and that she got there safely.
"Okay." So the four of them left after saying their goodbyes.
~Time Skip to Next Day~
Lorena walked into the bed and breakfast with Takashi and Honey, leaving Creature outside again. She was so glad to be wearing clothes of her own choice today. She was back to jeans and sneakers.
They had picked her up from her hotel and they had breakfast together at a nice little café. They-meaning Honey-were telling her about how Tamaki had tried to wake them-again, meaning Honey-up at 6 in the morning. Laughing, she said, "Wow, I'm not exactly a morning person either, but I'm never that bad."
Looking around, they saw Haruhi and an unfamiliar guy sitting and talking at a table, Tamaki in the corner of woe, and Hikaru and Kaoru sitting at the bar. They joined Kyoya who was sitting at his own table.
They were sitting there for a couple of minutes when Hikaru started acting like a jerk to Haruhi's old friend, Arai.
"I'm just sayin', it's obvious this guy's got a thing for Haruhi." Hikaru practically shouted it, making sure they all heard him. "It's sickening to watch him try and flirt." Lorena had never seen Hikaru like this, she knew he could be immature and possessive, but this was just crossing the proverbial line.
"Hikaru! What's wrong with you? Quit acting like such a jerk." Haruhi stood up in anger.
Arai laughed nervously and waved his hands around, trying to diffuse the situation. "Hey, it's no big deal. He's right, I did have a thing for you once. But who cares, you already turned me down, right?" Everyone made noises of surprise, even Haruhi.
"Why do you look so surprised?" Kyoya asked her calmly.
"Uh... Well, I didn't know." Haruhi stuttered.
"You have to fill us in on this story Arai. Now when did this happen?" Tamaki asked him.
They all listened to his story about how he tried to confess and it all went over her head. She was so dense. Haruhi looked horrified. "I'm so sorry." She apologized.
"So you're turning me down again a while year later?" He laughed, "Don't worry Fujioka, I'm over it already. You didn't realize what I meant so that means you weren't interested."
Then they all moved to one table to hear all sorts of stories about Haruhi in middle school. Hikaru and Kaoru still wouldn't join them. Tamaki invited them over, but Hikaru was still running his mouth and being a jerk.
He got Haruhi so mad she stood up and slapped him. "That's not something for you to decide, Hikaru. I'm not going to tolerate you insulting my friends anymore, you got that?"
He looked shocked, "But why? Why should anyone else even matter to you?" He suddenly stood up and began yelling, "I thought we were your friends! Are we or aren't we?!" Then he ran off, Kaoru not far behind him.
"Their world is still so small, huh? It's such a shame." Tamaki muttered to himself.
Later on, they were seeing Arai off. Haruhi apologized again for Hikaru's actions, but Arai was a good sport about it all. Then, Kaoru dressed as Hikaru came out and formally apologized. Arai was fooled by him, and left with a good mood.
"So Kaoru, tell me why you're pretending to be Hikaru." Lorena asked him off-handedly at the same time Haruhi did.
"Hey, what happened to that scratch on your cheek?" Haruhi pinched his cheek.
"I just covered it up with some concealer." He replied with a grin on his face. She released his face to let him keep talking. "I don't think Hikaru's temper is going to let up any time soon. He's no fun when he's like this, so I've got a small favor to ask of you. How would you like to go out tomorrow with me on a date?" He grinned cheekily.
~The Next Day~
Lorena wondered why she even bothered getting out of bed this morning. The only thing they were going to do today was follow Hikaru and Haruhi around on their date. They started by hiding out in a café. She was sitting across from Takashi, with Honey on her right, and Kyoya on her left. Honey was snacking on some ice cream, Takashi was drinking what looked like coffee, Kyoya was writing in his notebook, and Lorena was nursing a cup of hot chocolate in-between her hands.
While they were sitting there peacefully, Tamaki was having a meltdown and taking it out on Kaoru, seeing as he set the whole thing up. "You know, this might be Haru-chan's first date." Honey commented. This made Tamaki start to breathe fire.
"You're gonna pay for that! And look at what she's wearing... It's cute! It's super cute!" He whined.
When they were following them outside, Kaoru went into a deep character analysis of his brother. Lorena was kind of speechless at how much thought he'd given this whole thing.
Lorena saw Tamaki looking at the sky, so she looked up too. She saw storm clouds in the distance. She started to worry, she hoped it would dissipate before it reached them. After all, she'd helped Haruhi through a couple of thunderstorms before. Not really doing much, just holding her hand and distracting her until the worst was over.
From around a corner they watched the two of them sitting on a bench, probably deciding what to do. Tamaki went off on a rant again, "Kyoya get in there and act like a punk picking a fight with Haruhi so Hikaru will have to save her!"
"Where do you dream this stuff up?" Kyoya asked him.
Before she could stop him, Honey walked out there in a "disguise" and started advertising ice cream. Takashi quickly swooped in and rescued him seeing as he would definitely be recognized.
The next catastrophe was Tamaki giving them another ice cream for free in the place of the actual clerk. Lorena calmly explained to the poor man, "I'm very sorry for my brother, sir. You see, he's got a couple screws loose if you know what I mean. I've been charged with his care for a while, and I'm very sorry he bothered you. Really, he's harmless." She ushered Tamaki and Kaoru out of the ice cream booth and proceeded to smack said blonde over the head.
They followed them around for a little while longer before deciding to go back. They didn't want to risk being caught, and Tamaki was slowly collapsing into himself.
They spent the next couple hours at the pension house playing games and talking. Lorena constantly kept an eye on the weather outside. She was getting worried. The storm wasn't dispersing, only getting closer and closer.
When the rain arrived Lorena started pacing, chewing on the ends of her fingers nervously, Creature watching her from his seat next to the door. They weren't back yet and they were already getting lightning and thunder. Takashi stopped her pacing and her chewing on her fingers. Reassuring her with only a look. "You're right," she sighed, "I just can't help it though." She looked out the window again, the storm was only getting worse. She felt him interlace his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand in comfort. She smiled up at him appreciatively before looking out of the window once again. She surprised herself and Takashi when she rested her head on his bicep, caught up in their shared feeling of comfort.
Honey watched this from his table just a few feet away, a triumphant smile on his face. Of course, taking pictures for evidence.
When Tamaki called Hikaru on his cell, Lorena was kind of shocked. She'd never seen him actually angry. And actually yell at someone for something serious like that.
In the end, everything was okay. Hikaru found Haruhi and helped her through the storm, and they returned safely once it was over.
When she was back in her hotel suite with Creature sleeping at the foot of the bed, Lorena was thinking about Takashi. She thought about how nice his large and calloused hand felt in her own. She thought about how warm she felt when he comforted her. And it scared her. Why had she let it get this far? How could she do that? She was nowhere near ready for an emotional attachment. Woah, emotional attachment? Calm down, he was just helping a friend. Yeah, that's right. Friend. She tried to convince herself this was true, but a large part of her new it was bullshit. She didn't want to think anymore, so she closed her eyes and fell into a restless sleep.
A/N: So, feel free to tell me your opinions. I also have a question... Are you guys getting bored with this story? It's okay to be honest with me. If anybody is, I assure you big things are going to be happening soon. I know the set-up took a while, but it'll be worth it (if I don't fuck it up). I don't know, maybe I'm just letting myself listen to my insecurities and paranoia, I can't really tell. All I can ask is that you guys hang in there with me. Don't give up on me yet! Pleaaasee~! *puppy eyes*