Haruka smiled, looking out of her door in the early morning. There was nothing she loved more than waking up every morning, putting on her Kimono, and staring out into the dew covered flower gardens which lit up in the morning light. It was peaceful and relaxing- she could sit there for hours if Mimiko did not come to greet her every morning. Sometimes she wondered how her life would be back at the Jinguji Mansion if she never left. Or what her life would be like if she went back. Ren would be angry, and that scared her far too much. She wasn't sure she could ever face him again.
"Haru~!" Haruka smiled and turned her head, smiling at Mimiko who waved at her enthusiastically. She and Mimiko had been friends for more than a week now, hanging out every day. Sometimes Otoya hung out with them as well, but his work kept him busy most days. But unlike with Otoya, Haruka could help Mimiko out with her work.
"Good morning." Haruka chopped back, exiting her room to meet with the young woman in overalls, who rushed down the hallway to meet her with her usual bright disposition. She smiled like the sun and gave Haruka a big hug, quickly pulling away.
"Come on, breakfast isn't gonna eat itself!" Mimiko smiled, yanking her along.
"It would be inconvenient if it did." Haruka giggled. Haruka and Mimiko rushed down the hallway, heading the the dining room. However, before they reached the room, they found a blue haired man blocking their path. Masato smiled sadly at Haruka and approached her. The wonderist mood of the morning seemed to fade away in an instant when she spotted his face, the forced smile, the dull eyes. She knew in an instant that something was happening and frowned.
"Good morning Nanami-san, Mimiko-san." Masato said, greeting them with a curt nod.
"Good morning, Master Masato!" Mimiko chirped, smiling happily.
"Good morning." Haruka said softly.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I speak to you, Nanami-san, in private." Masato asked quietly. Haruka nodded and turned to Mimiko.
"I'll see you later." Haruka smiled and Mimiko nodded, heading into the dining room alone. Masato gestured for Haruka to follow him and they walked down to his office. The walk was quiet, only the sound of their footsteps sounding into the air. They both stopped all of a sudden in front of his office, as if both became suddenly unsure about going through with this. But Masato took a deep breath and entered, Haruka soon following. The two of them sat down across from each other on their Japanese cushions, Masato behind a desk and Haruka near the door. Masato took a moment before looking up at her.
Haruka sat silently, waiting for him to start. The two stared at each other, as if taking something in. Masato looked down, closing his eyes for a moment before looking up and smiling at her sincerely.
"The gardens- they are beautiful today." Masato commented, lightening the mood with a bit of chit chat.
"They are wonderful every morning." Haruka smiled back. A casual conversation. It was relaxing to have these together. Sometimes, when Masato has finished with his work, Haruka would sit next to him on the edge of the hallway and stare out into the flowers, talking quietly together. It was pleasant to say the least.
"Nanami-san," Masato said, straightening up and looking at her directly, smile falling away. "I've been knowing that you seem to be trapped in your thoughts lately." He said, causing Haruka to frown. "You seem lost on what to do now; go home or stay here." He pointed out.
"Y-yes, I'm not quite sure what to do, but I am working on it." Haruka said, looking down.
"Nanami-san... Haruka-san." Masato said, causing Haruka to blush from his sudden informality. Masato smiled for a brief moment, enjoying her flustered-ness. "I've begun to worry about you. Yesterday... you walked into a wall because you were lost in thought. And the day before that you nearly walked off the edge of the hallway- you were lucky that Ittoki was able to grab you so fast." Masato resisted, causing Haruka's blush to deepen.
"I-I'm sorry for causing trouble- It won't happen again, I promise!" Haruka swore, bowing her head.
"It's alright. But... I am concerned for your mental health as well." Masato said, causing Haruka to sit up. "I hope you will not loath me for doing so, but I have... taken measures to help you decide. I have called someone you know to..." Masato paused, not sure how to word himself. But his pause gave Haruka all the time she needed to fret over what he was saying. Called someone? He didn't tell... Ren, did he?
She nearly began to weep. He would be so angry with her, her life would become a living hell once more, but this time, three years of torture might become small in comparison. She felt a tear roll down her cheek as memories of her suffering and lonely life flooded back to her.
Masato watched, terrified, as she began to cry. He knew that she knew that something was going to happen, but he feared that it would overwhelm her if he did not ease her mind as soon as possible.
"Please, enter." Masato called, his voice no longer quiet and gentle. The door slid open behind her and the sound of shoes filled the air. Haruka bit her lip before turning her head to see who Masato had called
Haruka's eyes widened in shock as a large, yet small body towered over her, a shadow resting over their face. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing. Soon her mind causing up with time and her eyes began to tear up as she stared at the angelic figure in front of her. She stood up and sniffled. "Grandma!" She cried jumping forward and wrapping her arms around her grandmother. She smiled down at Haruka and wrapped her arm around her while stroking her hair.
"My my, Haru-chan, you've gotten taller. And I do believe you're beginning to fill out a bit more." She smiled, speaking in her gentle and praising voice, smiling down at her granddaughter.
"Oba-san, I've missed you so much! Oba-san... Oba-san!" Haruka cried, tearing up in her grandmother's gentle hold. Haruka noticed little bits of her grandmother seemed to change, as well as herself. Haruka was taller than the last time they had embraced and her grandmother had lost some weight.
"Haru-chan, I'm sorry for not visiting, but the doctors said I couldn't leave bed and what little time I have I'm working with the company." Her grandmother apologized.
"No, it's alright, you were sick. But Oba-chan, are you better now?" Haruka asked, pulling away from her.
"My my, still so thoughtful. Yes, I am doing better. I was going to visit you but all of a sudden, Jinguji-san said that you disappeared." She said, causing Haruka to look down. "At first I thought he meant you were kidnapped and my heart nearly stopped!" She chuckled, smiling at Haruka. "But then he said that you had an escape plan and I nearly hurt his ear with my laughter." She laughed, wiping a cheerful tear from her eye.
"Y-you're not mad?" Haruka asked.
"I'm surprised is all. It was never like you to even think about running away before." She smiled, sitting Haruka down and taking a seat beside her grand daughter.
"Nanami-sama, if you're uncomfortable, I can get you a chair." Masato offered, getting ready to stand up.
"No, I've been up to my neck in beds and cushions for the last four years. I'd like to sit on the floor once more." She answered, causing Masato and Haruka to giggle. "Now, Haru-chan, Masato-san here tells me that you ran away from home because you didn't like how you were treated."
"Yes, none of the maids there wanted to be my friends and I didn't even know anyone else, I barely knew my own husband until... maybe about a month or two ago."
"I'm sorry I left you like that when you were dealing with this." Her grandmother frowned. Haruka looked up her grandmother, eyebrows furrowed together.
"Oba-chan, I have a question." Haruka asked, her grandmother gesturing for her to go on. "Why... did you pick Jinguji-san?" Haruka asked. Her grandmother smiled, nodding in understanding.
"Haru-chan, I promise that it wasn't like I pulled a name out of a hat. I thought about it. I really did. Haru-chan, you were such a sickly girl, every maid had to wash their hands three times a day and clean constantly. Since everything had to be clean, I could never bring you a friend your age. You never learned what it was like to speak to those who were not trained to obey your wishes.
"Jinguji-san is a nice young man, but he lacks a respect for women without a backbone and never wanted to be tied down."
"We're exact opposites." Haruka said, looking down.
"...Haru-chan, you never got to meet your grandfather, did you?" She asked calmly.
"No, he died when I was little." Haruka answered.
"Haru-chan, I was a lot like you when I was younger and your Grandfather, well, he was a ruffian who rode down the streets on his motorcycle, causing trouble everywhere he went." Haruka's mouth fell open. She never talked about her grandfather before, she was afraid it would hurt her grandmother's heart. But this was not what she expected him to be. "Yes, it's true. Your grandfather and I were complete opposites. But when he fell in love with me-" She began to chuckle, finding it hard to finish her sentence through her laughs. "-He went out a got a suit and he couldn't even put on the jacket right! He was a mess in a fancy life like mine and I could never live like him, not with my own pore health and future business on the line."
"So what did you do?" Haruka asked, leaning in.
"At first, I admitted to him it would be best to part ways, but that man... he was not one to give up so easily. He kept trying, no matter how often he was kicked out or embarrassed in front of everyone. I felt so bad but was captivated with his courage and determination to love me. He kept trying and slowly improved."
"And then?" Haruka asked, a smile blooming on her face.
"He proposed." She smiled, causing Haruka to beam. "I remember how mad my parent were when they saw this, but I didn't give them a chance to say no to him. I promised my very being to him." She smiled.
"That's so wonderful." Haruka said.
"Haru-chan, I'm telling you this for a reason. Your grandfather may be different from Jinguji-san, but they can both learn to change aground a positive influence. And I changed as well when I fell you him. I became more bold and daring then ever before. Before I met him I planned on doing whatever my parents wanted me to do, but I refused when they were to say no. Haru-chan, I chose Jinguji-san because you both have something to learn from each other." Her grandmother smiled.
"But we can't change each other, we're both still the same." Haruka insisted, but her grandmother shook her head.
"That's not true. I never even thought you'd run away from home like that- it was unlike you back when you lived with me. You've grown to respect yourself and no longer let those around you push you around. And Jinguji-san? Well..." She said turning to the door.
Haruka turned her head to the door and gasped. In the doorway stood a tall figure with a skinny body, towering over her. Ren Jinguji stared down at her, eyes dull and hair a bit messy. Haruka moved to stand up but was quickly yanked up by Ren. Without a word, Ren turned and left the room, dragging Haruka along with him. He kept quiet as he pulled her along, ignoring her pleas to slow down. He yanked her out of the estate and down to the driveway where a fancy yet small car stood on it's own, lights still on.
Haruka could hear him muttering under his breath thing like "Damned Masato, telling me he hid you and then telling me he lied." Ren pulled her around to one side and opened the door, saying a quick "Get in" before practically lifting her into the seat and closing the door behind her. He went around to the other side and stomped in, locking the doors and beginning to drive. Haruka sat there, keeping quiet and letting her head hang low. They drove for a while, keeping quiet as Ren drove her back home.
"Are you mad-"
"Yes, Haruka, I am mad." He snapped, causing Haruka to flinch away. "I mean, really?! You freakin ran away! Do you realize how much money it takes to hire a bunch of detectives? A lot. God, I cancelled so many meetings looking for you." Ren muttered, huffing angrily.
"I'm sorry..."
"Good. Never EVER do that again. Alright?... Alright?!"
"Yes."
"Good." He said again. He shook his head and kept driving. Haruka turned away from him, staring out the window. She was going home. For some reason a smile began to creep onto her face. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, smiling. He did care.
Hey guys, sorry about all of the time skips, but just to clear things up, this is a week later from the last chapter, and a few days after the Masato and Ren incident. So I finally did it, I sent her home. I've been planning to write this chapter for months now and I finally got it out of my system!
Also, if anyone knows the technical name of those 'Japanese cushions', please tell me. I feel unknowledged not knowing :( -Never mind, it's called a zabuton! Thank you, dragneelangel, for helping me out~
Also, yay! Grandma! I love her voice for some reason- it just sounds so comforting in the anime.
Oh man, I was trying for a longer chapter, but I went much longer than I thought I would. Man, so much time flew by while writing this! Looks like things are gonna get better for Haruka and Ren from here on out! No, the story isn't over. Yes it's beginning to end. I sincerely have no clue how long it's going to be from this point on, but it will probably be a lot.
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