Ouran High School Host Club Fan Fiction ❯ Rubbing The Lamp ❯ Ch 15 Back to School ( Chapter 22 )

Disclaimer: Ouran Host Club belongs to Bisco Hatori. I make no profit off this story. If Bisco Hatori-san wishes, I will remove this from the web upon her personal request.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 15

 

Amazingly, sleep did not take a long time coming that Sunday night - at least not for two of the Host Club members.

 

Tamaki slept soundly, clutching the Antoinette look-alike tightly in a loving embrace. He'd tried to sleep holding Antoinette herself, but the dog didn't like to be confined. So after some kicking and tussling, he gave up and each living being on his/her own bed. The plush toy was a more than acceptable substitute for cuddling. After all, he only had it because of her, so holding it tightly reminded him that she didn't hate him - that she'd still be his friend, come visit him, come see the doll and the dog. And him. She was still his beautiful, caring friend.

 

His dreams of her that night were platonic. Even his unconscious mind was wary enough that it wouldn't allow him back into the world of fantasy. But the underlying sense of peace and purpose he had developed made the transition into reality seem intensely sweet.

 

Haruhi's sleep was slightly less sound than Tamaki's. She'd managed to use studying and worrying about exams to avoid her father's inevitable questions about why she kept zoning out. But it was nice to feel his concern and love.

 

She fell asleep quickly and remained asleep throughout her dreams - dreams of wanting to be touched and wanting to be left alone, dreams of warmth and cold, dreams of apathy and comfort, pride and need. Different extremes made themselves apparent without a desire for a middle ground. It was interesting how important each of these spoiled rich bastards had become to her. Her broken boys.

 

The school day progressed without incident. The twins had held themselves in check all day, not grabbing onto her, looking at her with trepidation, but not daring to step over the line lest she determine they were no longer worth her while. The few times she'd dared glance over at them, Hikaru had given her a shaky, hopeful smile. Kaoru had not dared to meet her eyes. He pulled his gaze away from her quickly, as if he were afraid of what he'd see there.

 

Toward the end of the school day, as the last class was ending, she caught Hikaru's eye. Without blinking, she nodded stoically at him. One nod only. Then she stood and walked out of the room. There was no need to look back to know that he'd be grasping Kaoru's elbow, guiding him up out of the chair to follow her.

 

As she got to the third floor music room, she could almost feel the twins behind her - about 15 paces back. She entered slowly, allowing them to catch up enough to catch the door as she released it - so that it wouldn't appear that she was shutting the door on them.

 

That wasn't what this was about.

 

No one else had arrived yet, so she crossed to the sofa she often shared with the twins and sat down near the left arm, depositing her book bag on the right so that no one could sit too closely.

 

The redheaded devils were so tentative as they followed her that it would have made her laugh if it didn't make her so sad. She nodded them into chairs across from her and they sat, perched on the edge of their seats as if they needed to be prepared to run.

 

Big brown eyes looked across from one to the other. Mirror images? She didn't think so. Scrutinizing them, her face tightened into a scowl. One flinched and the other looked about ready to burst into tears. How could anyone mistake them for one another? Their reactions were so different. She shook her head in negation.

 

“I just don't understand why anyone would confuse the two of you for each other,” she finally said softly. `Unless they were playing Twister with you,' her unconscious voice countered. But interestingly, that thought didn't cause heat to flush through her like before. If she really thought about their kisses, she might become embarrassed - they did kiss too well, really. Another time, another universe, maybe. But now… No. They were her friends.

 

At her comment, the twins exchanged a confused glance and then looked at her questioningly.

 

“Ha-Haruhi?” Hikaru's voice was shaky. Kaoru looked like he still didn't trust himself to speak out loud.

 

Pursing her lips, she continued, “You understand that while I'm used to your tricks and taunts, this went too far. If you try something like this again, I'm not sure I'll be able to allow you in my life afterward.”

 

Before the boys could respond, the door opened and the oldest club members entered. The grimness of their expressions would have been better suited to a battlefield where the enemy outnumbered their forces 30 to 1. Or for climbing to the gallows.

 

A quick nod acknowledged their presence and she paused, allowing them to close the distance and stand before her. She nodded again before she spoke.

 

“I've spent the past day trying to figure out what to think about all this. I wonder what it is that you all think you feel about me.

 

“In case you're wondering, I did hear you all claim certain feelings. But I wonder. If that's what you really felt about me, would you really have been willing to share me amongst you all?”

 

She noticed Hikaru getting ready to interrupt and held up her hand, spearing him with a glance. “I'm talking here, so just listen.”

 

She stared at Mori. “After you'd kissed me, how would you feel about me kissing someone else?” His face tightened and he looked away.

 

She turned to Huni. “Would you want me to touch anyone else's bare skin?” He frowned, but didn't look away.

 

Then the twins, “Could you share me among all of you without worrying about whether one held my heart more than another?” Mirror images looked at each other, then looked at the other two boys in the room and grimaced.

 

“Was this all just stupid posturing - a competition of sorts to try to prove something amongst yourselves? Or a desire to simply shake things up? Shake me up?

 

“And what about what *I* feel? Did that matter?” She paused and scowled at each of them in turn. Each looked lost, sad, and ashamed.

 

“Of course, it's possible that you didn't really believe that it would go that far. Perhaps you thought I'd choose one of you and then end the game.

 

“But somehow, I don't think anyone thought that far in advance. I don't think anyone thought about what would happen when I found out what you'd been doing. Which is pretty stupid, because these things always end up coming out.

 

“I'd *like* to think that you were all blinded by teenage hormonal shifts. Because friends don't try to take advantage of their friends.

 

“Of course, I am assuming that you all *are* my friends. I am assuming that once you realized that your actions could - and did - hurt me, you decided to call the whole thing off. I was hearing through a closed door, but that is what it sounded like to me.”

 

She folded her arms across her chest as she continued, “So tell me, are you my friends?”

 

Four faces looked up at her with sincerity shining clearly in their eyes. Relief and hope overruled the disappointment they felt. She hadn't ruled out their relationships growing beyond friendship - maybe some day, anyway.

 

A soft smile lit her face. “Don't ever do anything like this ever again. Stupid rich bastards.” Their small smiles made her know she'd done the right thing.

 

And then the doors burst open to reveal a frantic Tamaki.

"Kyoya's dropped out of school!"

Secondary Disclaimer: All characters in this story are at least 18 years of age. While that might seem unlikely - as three of the characters are only sophomores in high school, I figure it this way: if Bisco Hatori-san can ignore the students graduating for two years in a row and keep everyone in the same grade, I can then apply that logic to their ages. Therefore, Haruhi, Kaoru and Hikaru are just 18. Kyoya and Tamaki are about to turn 19. Mori is about to turn 20, and Huni already is 20. (Therefore, according to Japanese figuring, Huni is the only adult. :P )