Hiroshi set his box of fruit down on a nearby table before pulling the small brunette girl in front of him into a tight hug, "I haven't seen you since we started high school! How've you been, Haruhi?"
"I'm alright! Nēchan came back from America."
"I know!"
"Oh, right! I forgot your older brother went too." She stepped back from the hug and began leading her friend towards a table. Just as they sat down, they were surrounded by the rest of the Host Club.
"Uh… are these your friends, Haruhi?"
"Oh, yeah. These are Hikaru and Kaoru, they're in my class. That's Tamaki-s… Um, Tamaki... and Kyoya-senpai, Nēchan's classmates. And those two are Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai, 3rd years. We're all in the same club together at Ouran."
"Your sister, too? Where is Jin, by the way? Is she working?" Before anyone could question the lack of a Senpai added to Jin's name, despite the boy clearly being younger than her, a familiar voice called out from behind them.
"Actually, Jin is right here."
The eight turned around to see Jin walking through the door, cast-free… but trailed by a very tall, blond, glasses-wearing boy who was smiling broadly. Haruhi brightened at the sight of Jin's find.
"Beni! You're here, too!"
The other boy laughed, walking to their table and ruffling Hiroshi's hair, "Did you really think I'd let my little brother out of my sight over summer vacation? He couldn't get rid of me if he tried!"
The brunet rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say, Niichan."
"Wait! Wait, wait, hold on for one second!" The four stopped moving and stared at Tamaki. The blond was pointing towards them with an accusing finger, "Who are these people?"
Jin smiled apologetically, "Oops, sorry guys. This is Hiroshi and Beni Arai, our best friends from public school."
The blond and brunet boy give the hosts identical smiles, "Pleased to meet you!"
Silence.
Tamaki and the twins were staring at Hiroshi, wondered exactly how close these boys were to the girls. Mori and Honey were regarding Beni, remembering some of Jin's stories about him, but surprised as well because she had failed to mention that her best friend was just as tall as Mori. And Kyoya? He looked like his body had just been chiseled from a marble column.
Jin cleared her throat, "So… do you want to sit and chat?"
* Time Skip *
"Hold on, you're a year older than Jin-chan but you two are still best friends?"
Beni nodded, pulling away from his lemonade straw, "Of course. You two and Jin-chan became close friends when you were kids, didn't you? So you know it's possible. She told me all about you, by the way! Congrats on winning all those tournaments; I actually saw one or two a few years ago. You and Jin-chan are very closely matched, Honey-san. It was an honor to watch you spar."
The small blond blushed at the rush of compliments, "Thank you so much! And you can just call me Honey! We're the same age, after all!"
Jin drifted over with a small tray of dirty dishes. Misuzu-chi had let Haruhi take a little break from work so she could reconnect with her friend, but seeing as how Beni and Jin still talked often, he had asked the older sister to continue keeping the café tidy as she talked. Jin didn't complain, glad to be given some light activities for her weak wrist. So now Haruhi and Hiroshi were sitting at a two seater table a few feet away while the others were grouped up by the backyard windows.
"I see you're making friends, Ben-kun."
"Hey, any friend of yours is a friend of mine!" The blond boy lightly tugged a lock of the girl's' hair as she scooped up Honey's empty cake plate. She elbowed him away.
"Jin-chan? Why do you call him Ben-kun, but don't add the -kun suffix with us?"
The brunette blinked, "Oh… I just didn't think you'd want me to. I mean, you and Mori-senpai are older than me and I trained under you at the dojo, Tamaki would rather I call him my brother, I already have a nickname for Kyoya…"
"Well I don't know about them, but I'd love it if you called me Honey-kun!"
"Mmm."
"Tama-kun does have a nice ring to it."
Kaoru looked over from the bar seat, "We wouldn't mind it either."
Hikaru, who is sulking for some reason, merely grunts.
And Kyoya… remained silent. He was sitting at the table beside theirs, his back to Beni. If the others didn't know any better, they would say he was moping. It wasn't until Tamaki lightly kicked his chair that he moved at all, snatching up his teacup, "Why not? I wouldn't mind."
"Um, okay then!"
Haruhi turned away from the other table, shaking her head. Nēchan needs to stop encouraging them.
"Seems like you've been having a great time at Ouran, Haruhi. To be honest, a lot of our classmates were worried you might've overshot, going to a prestigious school and all. They'll be so happy when I tell them you're doing just fine!"
Honey called over, "What about Jin-chan's friends? Don't forget to tell them she's okay, too!"
He didn't seem to notice the way Jin flinched ever so slightly behind him, shoulders stiffening. Kyoya saw it, however. He remembered what the two had discussed over the phone last night and felt a small pang deep in his stomach. Did she have that dream because she thinks her friends from the public school forgot about her already? Maybe I should ask her…
The thought was cut short by Hikaru grumbling under his breath about Hiroshi trying to act 'innocent'. It would appear as though the redhead had forgotten that the other boy's older brother was sitting right behind him. Kyoya noted Beni's eyes narrowing, and while the anger within his stomach faded away to a pleased feeling, he was well aware that the blond boy had at least seventeen centimeters on the redhead.
"You're being unusually critical." He made sure to add the 'unusual' bit in, but that didn't seem to make Beni any less wary.
"I'm just saying it's obvious this guy is trying to flirt with Haruhi! It's disgusting how hard he's trying with those pitiful lines."
" Hikaru! " Jin snapped, practically throwing her dish tray down on the bar counter, "Watch your mouth!"
"What? It's the truth! Just like how you have a thing for-"
"Hikaru!" Kaoru clapped his hand over his brother's mouth, "You're making things worse! Cut it out!"
Beni was actually standing up by the time Hiroshi called out, "Niichan! Don't! Besides, he's right… I did have a thing for Haruhi once upon a time."
"Wait, what?"
"But what's it matter? You turned me down politely, and we're still best friends!"
" Huuuuuh? "
Jin tilted her head, "When did this happen? Haru, you never told me about this."
"Uh…" the small girl looked a little pale, "Well, I didn't know it happened either..."
Hiroshi cleared his throat, "Last year, when you applied for Ouran, I might've… um… confessed to you." He painted the scene, leading all the way up to Haruhi suggesting they check the application deadline together. The small brunette found herself surrounded as he finished his story.
"Haruhi… you broke this young man's heart just for a laugh at some sick joke?" Kyoya was near snarling, acting far more upset about this discovery than was probably necessary. Haruhi mumbled, feeling a little faint, but more than a little concerned over the strange surge of hostility her Senpai was showing. What was that all about?
"Ahahahahahaaaaaa!"
The interrogation was put on hold as Jin doubled over, resting her right arm against the countertop to provide support, "Oh my go-osh! Ahaha! I'm sorry, Hiroshi! I'm not laughing at you, promise, but Haru! Ha! I knew you were dense, but really? Wow! I guess you needed contacts for a reason!"
"Nēchan! This isn't funny!"
"It's kinda funny," Beni noted, the corner of his lip quirking. Even Hiroshi was chuckling.
A few moments later, seven of them were sitting down at a table, the beginning tenseness having dispersed over a good laugh. The three boys missing from the happy group were the twins, who were still seated at the bar counter, and Kyoya. The ravenet glared down into his tea cup, a vision of the smile Jin had given Beni when he pointed out that the beautiful hair clip she was wearing had been a gift from the blue-eyed boy swimming behind his eyes.
"Kyo-kun? Why are you sitting all the way over there?"
He tensed, "I can hear you all just fine from here."
"Come on, Glasses! It's not the same without you over here." Kyoya repressed the urge to groan. There was no way he could say no, now that Jin was calling him over with that smile and that tone of voice. Sighing, he left his tea cup where it was and walked over to their table, pulling up a chair between Tamaki and Mori. To Tamaki's left was Jin, then Beni, Hiroshi, Haruhi, and Honey before coming back to Mori and Kyoya. He had picked this spot for one reason and one reason only… so that if he attempted to attack Beni over the table Mori would be able to hold him back.
Kyoya didn't know what was wrong with him, and yet he did. He was jealous .
It was a much more explosive emotion than he had anticipated, screaming at him from the inside to take action. Beni Arai had a history with Jin. It was clear that the two were extremely comfortable with each other after their many years by each other's sides. They had even traveled abroad together! And there was no denying that the boy was very handsome. If he were to ask Jin out, there was little doubt in Kyoya's mind that she would say no. And that angered him like nothing he'd ever experienced before. It threw out his usual peaceful, non-confrontational way of dealing with his inner emotions and replaced it with a strange desire to break something. Kyoya had never felt this strongly about something like this before, but it felt liberating. If not frightening at the same time.
"So, Beni-senpai, how did you and Jin even become friends?"
"Yeah, the age difference…"
"Oh, I corrected his math homework."
The hosts stare at Jin for a while before Beni laughs, "I almost forgot about that! We were in elementary school and I was in the library when I saw her teaching herself German. I thought it was cool that she was able to do that since I was just starting taking English lessons, so I went to talk to her. Over the next month we would sit next to each other and talk while we did our school work. One day I was working on my math homework, left to use the bathroom, and when I came back Jin was going over it and telling me I got everything wrong! She taught me how to do it all correctly, I started letting her teach herself my math work, and we've been best friends ever since."
"Why am I not surprised?" The hosts chuckled. Correcting an older student's math homework just sounded so much like Jin. Kyoya, however, continued "not"-sulking.
"Beni, has Jin-chan changed much since elementary school?"
The blond's smile turned sinister, "Oh yeah, definitely."
Jin's expression dropped, "Arai, don't you dare."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, she looked like a little nerd."
"Arai, I mean it."
"She used to have bangs and parted her hair down the middle in such a straight line you thought she set it with a ruler. Also, when she first got glasses, she had a sort of red phase. She had red frames for two years." Beni got up and started running around the room, but only because Jin had started chasing him, telling him to shut his mouth. Most of the hosts were laughing as the tall boy ducked around furniture while Jin just jumped over everything.
"And she used to be so color coordinated! She'd only wear one color at a time! When she wore black, people would ask her whose funeral she was attending, and she'd answer by looking around the room and saying, 'I haven't decided yet'! Their faces were hilarious!"
"Beni! Shut up!"
"Why? Should I not tell them about your cute two piece outfits you used to wear after school? Especially that bright pink one with the glittery flowers and the puppies and-"
"SHUT UP!" Jin took a flying leap onto his back. She wrapped her right arm around his upper chest, and tried to cover his mouth with her left hand, but her wrist still wasn't strong enough to keep him from pushing her hand away.
"Or what about-"
"SHUT IT!"
"-your headbands-"
"I SAID SHUT IT!"
"-that you wore every day?"
Haruhi was bent over the table she was laughing so hard, the other boys not that far behind. It wasn't just the mental picture Beni was painting, it was also the ridiculousness of Jin piggybacking him, trying to get him to shut up.
Suddenly the girl slipped off and took a few steps backwards, "Hey, Ben-kun, remember when you used to gel your hair up into spikes everyday for school?"
Beni stops laughing, "Jin-"
"Or how about when you used to strut down your home's hallways, pretending you were a model? " Their roles quickly reversed as Beni started chasing the girl around the room. The others can hardly breathe.
Jin happily pranced about the room, "You can't catch me~"
"Wanna bet, Fujioka?"
Beni made a lunge and grabbed the girl around her torso. With her arms pinned to her side, she could only wriggle uselessly in his grasp, "No! Release me, foul brute!"
"Say I'm the best!"
"Never!"
"Oh, really?" Beni jabbed at her sides, making the girl screech with laughter.
"Arai-san, Jin just had her cast taken off. I would hate to have to pay for another one simply because her friends were careless." Kyoya's voice was as cold as ice, but the tall blond didn't seem to notice, setting the girl down on her feet and earning a punch in return.
Jin walked over to Kyoya's abandoned teacup, doing her 'job' of keeping the cafe looking nice while her friends were around. Beni took his seat, looking pleased with himself, and somehow still not noticing the death glare he was receiving from the only other person in the room wearing glasses.
Tamaki, however, did.
"Uh, I have a question. Do you and Jin have any hobbies that you do together? A sport or something similar?"
"Not a sport. I'm not especially active, to be honest. But we used to make a lot of music videos. The two of us tried choir for a year before deciding it wasn't for us, but we never stopped making videos. Mostly just covers of pop songs, but we get a lot of compliments."
He even joined the choir with her. Desperate. How could Jin miss that?
Kyoya must've been letting his aura of darkness bleed through, because Tamaki seemed desperate to ask another question before his friend could open his mouth and say something he'd regret.
"You two went to America, right? How was that?"
Beni grinned, "It was incredible! School is very different down there. The students are the ones who change classrooms, did you know? And the Technological center! It had so many career-related classes! I took a robotics class, since I plan to go into Engineering, and Jin took a full year of Accounting. We were also told to take an extracurricular activity or join a club of some sort, so the two of us joined the school's marching band. We were in the color guard and had so much fun I joined the group at my high school here! I thought for sure that Jin would do the same, but it appears she found something she enjoys more."
His eyes sparkled mischievously, "Of course… Stick-in-the-mud over there had to ruin my fun on our very last day."
Jin frowned, pausing for a split second in wiping down a nearby table, "I didn't want to go, but you forced me to anyways. You can't blame me for not enjoying myself."
"Oh, come on! It wasn't that bad!"
"Ben-kun, you dragged me to a male strip club!"
Tamaki spit his water out, and the others gaped in horror. Their heads were suddenly filled with pictures of Jin receiving a lap dance from a oily and well muscled 30-year-old. Takashi tensed up, ready to swing his arm out and catch Kyoya should he launch himself over the table at Beni. By the murderous look in his eyes and gradually expanding aura of death, it seemed to be very likely in the not-so-distant future.
"I said I was sorry! I even bought you that hair clip!"
Jin hummed, reaching up to lightly pull at the beads, "That is true…"
"Oh, of course he did!" Hikaru was finally speaking up, waving his empty cup around like a drunkard, "He has a crush on you, and he felt bad! It's so obvious!" The room grew silent for a moment, everyone tensed up, ready for the impending moment of Beni revealing his feelings and Kyoya straight up attacking the boy.
But it never came.
Jin snorted, "Wow… that would've been very awkward if you weren't 200% wrong about that, Hikaru. Do you always assume that when a boy and girl hang out together, the guy has a crush on the girl?"
The redhead scowled, "It's pretty obvious that you are just as clueless as your sister, Jin-senpai."
"Actually, that's not it at all."
Beni looked like he was trying not to laugh, "I guess the gig is up, Fujioka! I was going to have to face the truth someday! I am not, in fact, a raging homosexual! I'm just hiding my true feelings for my best friend who could kick my ass into next week! Who would've guessed it? Gorou will be brokenhearted!"
Now the boy was laughing, and Jin dropped her washrag on the table, "Wait, did you just say Gorou? You finally asked him out? Why didn't you tell me? You promised I'd be the first to know, Ben-kun!"
The two started chatting very animatedly about Beni's recent date with some other guy that had gone on the America trip, unaware of everyone's eyes on Kyoya. Then again, Kyoya himself didn't realize all the attention he was receiving. He was far too busy collapsing back against his chair in silent relief.
"Hey, Tama-kun?" The blond jumped at the acknowledgement, "Think you can help me clear away your, um, 'hamster home'? We should probably clean that up before someone slips on all that paper."
Since his best friend was no longer in danger of going psychopathic, he agreed. As the two began shoving scraps of paper into a trash bag Jin had pulled out of seemingly nowhere, Tamaki pondered over how the scare of Jin having another romantic interest might encourage Kyoya to pursue her a little less… "safely".
The boy didn't get much time to think on that, however, because not even ten seconds after they started clearing away the garbage, Hikaru's mouth was flying loose once again and Haruhi was smacking him across the face.
"That's not something for you to decide, Hikaru!"
Jin watched the scene unfold sadly. She had an inkling of Hikaru's reasoning behind his anger, but not a full understanding yet. And as he ran up the stairs to his room at the Pension, she could tell that the mood had been sufficiently ruined. Hiroshi was deeply upset, both Haruhi and Beni were angry at the eldest twin, and everyone else just felt awkward now.
"Maybe… it's time for Hiro and I to head out. Our Uncle probably needs us back at the shop anyways."
The group slowly moved outside. Haruhi continued apologizing for Hikaru's behavior as the two brothers picked up their bikes.
"Haruhi, stop apologizing for him. We'll be back in two days to deliver some more fruit, now that the Pension is on our list of stops. If your friend wants to apologize for himself then, we'll list-" Beni trailed off as Hikaru slowly walked out of the Pension. He looked embarrassed.
"Hika-chan?"
"I… was out of line. I'm sorry."
Beni narrowed his eyes a tiny bit, but his brother was quick to accept the apology. Jin hugged her best friend one last time before the two pedaled off, everyone waving after them.
"So Kaoru, why are you playing Hikaru?"
"And what happened to that scratch on your cheek?"
The redhead jolted, slouching as he scratched the back of his head, busted, "Just covered it up with some concealer. Hikaru… wasn't ready to apologize, but I knew your friend really needed one. Hiroshi didn't do anything. I'm sorry for his temper, he really isn't any fun to be around when he's like this, to be honest. So, since I'm down one playmate for tomorrow, can I ask a favor of you, Haruhi?"
Haruhi tilted her head, "Yeah, sure."
"Will you out with me tomorrow on a date?"
The next morning had half of the Host Club waiting patiently in the Pension cafe. They had received special instructions to gather there before Haruhi and Hikaru headed out for the day. Kaoru had explained his plan to them all in a group text, but Tamaki assumed Kaoru had a secret agenda: To kill Tamaki by showing off how cute Haruhi looked for her date, of which he would not be a part of.
"Wow, Haru-chan looks so cute!"
" Nooooo… "
"Thanks you guys. Hey, could you tell Kaoru I'll be waiting outside of Mototeca Coffee? It's the first shop you come across when you walk into town, and I'd like one of their blueberry muffins for breakfast."
"Okay, Haru-chan!"
The brunette passed through the front door, paused, then leaned her head back inside, "By the way… Jin isn't really having a good morning. Just FYI. See you guys later!"
Just as she shut the door behind her, Jin came walking around the corner and into the cafe. To say Haruhi hadn't given the boys a proper warning would've been an understatement. For whatever reason, Jin seemed to have decided that today would be the day she'd completely floor anyone who's gaze fell upon her.
Her teal blouse refused to hug her skin, the fabric showing off her right shoulder and hanging freely from her bust, only to stop somewhere around her mid-stomach. Clinging tightly to her hips was a pure white high-low skirt that stopped just barely above her knees. Her entire outfit fluttered around her as she walked, making her look like she was floating.
Instead of her normal converse, she was wearing brown strappy sandals with heels. Like, actual heels and not the wedges she typically preferred. The two front strands of her hair had been wrapped around the rest of her hair and then tightly pinned so it was in a ponytail, then the rest of it had been curled. It was a perfectly curled ponytail. And with her hair pulled back, they could see the earrings she had in, white spirals that surrounded a sapphire that coordinated with her clothes perfectly. Her make-up completed the look with foundation, eyeliner, mascara, and even a touch of teal eye-shadow and pink lipstick.
She looked extremely pretty.
On the other hand, she also looked like she may murder anyone who tried to speak with her. The hosts were completely silent as they watched Jin pour herself a cup of coffee, add in at least four packets of pure sugar and enough vanilla creamer to turn the drink a light beige before plopping herself down in between Kyoya and Honey. Their eyes were wide as she downed the drink in one go, set the cup on the table, and face planted.
Hikaru walked down the stairs and saw the back of Jin's head, "You alright, Jin-senpai?"
A muffled sound came from the table that sounded vaguely like some of the swear words he had heard her use before, so the redhead quickly explained where his brother was, got his directions from the others, and headed out the door.
Kyoya smiled down at the girl on his right, "Jin, we should probably follow them. I'm sure they'll have more coffee where we're going."
The brunette growled lowly, but lifted her head all the same. Her eyes were a little bloodshot and she stumbled as she stood from the chair. Kyoya was all too ready to casually throw an arm around his friend and let her use his shoulder as a moving pillow.
Then Kaoru came down the stairs, "Alright, team. Let's mo-"
"You little bastard!" The girl launched herself at the boy, barely being caught by Mori, "How dare you send your maids after me? I hate you!"
The younger twin laughed nervously, "Eheee… no hard feelings?"
"I will murder you!"
"But Jin-chan, I thought you were good at waking up early?"
Too tired to continue with her threats, the 2nd year flopped listlessly in her friend's arms, "It's one of my rare bad mornings. Let's leave it at that."
Mori set the girl down and she wobbled, happily falling back against Kyoya as her early-morning crutch.
"Well, hopefully that coffee will help a little."
"It won't. Coffee doesn't effect me, and neither does anything else sugary. That cup… well it was basically just giving my body something to do until I can get my hands on a chocolate chip muffin. In other words, it was a long shot." She leaned her head back to face Kyoya, "The only reason you can't see how tired I am is because they slathered nearly a whole bottle of concealer under my eyes and then all this make-up on top of it."
The boy smirks, picking up his half-empty tea cup and pressing it into the girl's hands, "Here. Black tea. Not as much caffeine as coffee, perhaps, but at least you won't have to pour any artificial sweeteners in it."
She quickly drains the cup, "Thanks."
"Kyoya! Jin! Hurry up, we're leaving!"
"Coming, Tamaki."
* Time Skip *
Jin was pretty much a zombie during the whole walk into town. She barely remembered to tell the boys that their was a back entrance into the cafe before they were seen by Haruhi and Hikaru, who were chatting on the sidewalk. Once she had her muffin, however, she seemed to wake up a little faster. Soon enough she was smiling contently with her hands cupped around some green tea as Tamaki flipped out behind her.
"Hey, Jin-chan, is this Haru-chan's first date?"
"Mhm."
The tall blond screamed in pain and she smiled wider.
"Glad to see you back to your old self."
Jin giggled, ducking her head, "Sorry about that. I wasn't too horrible to anyone, was I?"
"You nearly ripped Kaoru in half, but other than that you were simply cuter than usual. It was the perfect mixture of entertaining and endearing."
Jin's cheeks went cherry red, but before she could respond Tamaki was dragging her outside to have someone to wail to about Haruhi's outfit being cute. The others were quick to follow and rescue the brunette from Tamaki's clutches.
"Boss, I know it's a little hard for you to understand right now, but Hikaru needs this. He needs other people he can be close to. The two of us have only ever depended on each other, and Hikaru has a hard time understanding that people can have many friends, but that doesn't mean any of them are any less important than the others. He cares about Haruhi and the rest of us, and we as a club don't really interact with many people outside of our little group, so when someone new comes in… his emotions just run wild. He doesn't know how to react, and I think he's afraid of being abandoned. But to have meaningful relationships with anybody, you have to learn to respect them and let them into your life. And it's high time he learned that for himself."
"Wow, Kaoru. How… adult-like of you. I'm proud." Kaoru rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Jin didn't just hand compliments like that out on a whim, so it left him a warm feeling in his chest.
"So, in other words, this date is a test to see if Hikaru can be thoughtful towards others?"
"Bingo! Just promise not to interfere; Hikaru needs to figure this out by himself."
The group agrees and starts moving along down the road, mostly to keep an eye on the two and observe their progress. Jin goes to follow just as a bitterly cold breeze hits her back. She shivers and turns, eyes landing on a large cloud formation coming down from the mountain.
"Jin? You alright?"
"Ah, coming Kyo-kun!"
The two didn't have to go far. Hikaru and Haruhi had settled on a bench and were trying to figure out what to do for the day. It wasn't going very well.
"HOW CAN HE CALL HIMSELF A HOST CLUB MEMBER? THIS IS THE LAMEST EXCUSE FOR A DATE I'VE EVER SEEN! IS THIS HIS ATTEMPT AT BEING CONSIDERATE?"
"Boss, calm down! You'll ruin everything!"
Jin peered around the grappling boys. Haruhi had noticed the clouds rolling in, too. While she might not be showing her fear on the outside, Jin knew that on the inside her sister was probably struggling to keep her heartrate down at a normal level. Please just be a rainshower. Please just a rainshower…
"Jin! Disguise yourself and make rude comments about Haruhi's outfit!"
"Do I look like I'd even consider being unreasonably mean to my sister?"
"Ice cream~ Ice cream~"
"No!"
Jin looked back up at the clouds as Mori shot forward to hide his cousin from view. They're not all that dark, so maybe just a drizzle?
"Jin, is everything alright? You seem tense."
The brunette hesitated. There's no need to worry anyone at the moment...
"Do I? I don't mean to be. I'm just… this is Haru's first date, and even though we're nearby, I don't want anything to happen to her. I don't want to confront them and make her realize we're following her, because she'd most likely be upset with us but…"
"But you're worried about how Hikaru will behave."
"Hm. Haru's an amazing girl who can affect others without even trying, but I just don't know what to expect… for the first time in a long while."
She looked so sad, and oddly beaten down, and Kyoya could help but reach out for the girl. He only wanted to lay a hand on her shoulder, which might lead to a hug or something equally pleasing, but just then his right arm was collected in a vice grip, dragging the ravenet bodily into a nearby ice cream shop. Kyoya stumbled against the wall as Tamaki released him to stop Hikaru from eating off Haruhi's cone, and he felt another body collapse against his.
"Oof! Oh, I'm sorry Kyo-kun."
Jin moved away from the wall, letting the boy have some breathing space. It was then that Kyoya realized why he'd been crushed between the cement and the girl; when Tamaki had pulled him inside, Kyoya had wanted to make sure that Jin wasn't left behind. Their hands were warmly clasped together.
He wasn't quick to let go.
"My apologies."
"No, I'm the one who crashed into you."
"I pulled you. If I had grabbed onto your other hand-
"But you didn't, so don't apologize."
At the front of the stand, Kaoru was angrily shaking the blond, " What are you doing, it was finally going well! "
" They can't share an ice cream cone, that's indirect kissing! "
" You didn't seem to care when Jin and Kyoya did it this morning! "
" Wait, what? "
" Come on! We can't lose them! "
Tamaki is left frozen in confusion as the others slip out of the parlor, Jin apologizing to the clerk on her way. By the time he rejoins the group, they're watching Haruhi and Hikaru browsing some books in a nearby booth.
"Huh, we take our eyes off them for a second and suddenly everything's going great!"
"Probably because Haru's the one in charge of this date."
The others chuckled at Jin's comment and continued sneaking along down the road. Kyoya draws close to the girl and ducks his head, "Aren't you a bit worried about the two of them falling in love?"
"No, not really. Hika-kun may be warming up to her, but he's not ready for love. And you heard about Hiroshi yesterday. I doubt Haru quite understands the concept of loving someone who isn't family." Her voice drops to a whisper, " Which might explain why a certain someone with a similar problem has grown so close to her. "
Kyoya looks at Tamaki who is weeping at the sight of Haruhi and Hikaru enjoying each other's company. Hmm…
"Come on, let's go back to the Pension. Looks like our work here is done."
* Time Skip *
Jin hums softly, her fingertips trailing over the cast-iron fence that ran in front of Pension Misuzu. That date had looked like fun. I can't believe I'm even thinking this, but I'm a little jealous Haru had her first date before I had mine. She even had her first kiss before me.
She stops in her tracks as a roll of thunder reaches her ears.
"Hm? Uh oh, looks like we're gonna have rain today."
"The forecast did call for some scattered thunderstorms." Kyoya stopped walking, noticing he no longer had someone beside him, "Jin?"
The brunette was staring back the way they came, towards town. Haru…
"I have to go back."
"What? Why? It's a five minute walk-"
"I don't care!"
"Wait, Jin-senpai, what's-" she pulls out her phone. "What are you doing?"
"I'm calling Haru's cell and telling her to come back!"
"What? No, don't do that!" Before Jin could stop him, Kaoru grabbed her phone and tossed it to Mori.
She ran at her childhood friend, trying to get her phone back, "What are you doing? Give it back! I have to call her!"
"No! You'll ruin everything! Why do you suddenly have cold feet about it?"
"You don't understand! Haru is-"
"What I understand is that you don't like letting your sister be on her own unless you're doing the leaving!"
Jin freezes, "K-Kaoru… that's not-"
"Yes it is! You went all the way to America, leaving your sister on her own for a year, but now that she's off spending time with another friend you can't handle it! You're just as bad as Hikaru, and the both of you need to grow up!"
Tears well up in her eyes and Kaoru deflates a bit. They've never seen Jin cry, and it's daunting. He immediately tries to backtrack.
"Jin-senpai… I'm sorry, but-"
"Shut up, Hitachiin! You don't know ANYTHING!"
The girl shoved her way through the boys, running into the Pension with tears streaming down her cheeks, leaving the boys in a state of shock.
" What did I say? "
"Clearly, something you should've kept your mouth shut about," was Kyoya's response as the ravenet followed the girl indoors, leaving the rest of the club on the sidewalk. Tamaki watched as his best friend disappeared from view after the crying girl and sighed.
"I never thought I'd say this… but he is so in love with her."
"Are you sure we shouldn't say something?"
Honey frowned at the iPhone in his cousin's hands, "I think you should apologize to Jin-chan before even thinking about telling her Kyo-chan loves her."
Knock knock knock
"Go away!"
"Jin? It's me. Do you want to talk?"
"...I'm not sure."
"Well, then, talk to me through the door. You can stop whenever you feel like it."
There's some shuffling, and Kyoya hears something thump against the wood. He crouches down, "I don't think Kaoru meant-"
"Yes he did. He meant everything he just said. That's when people are most honest… when they're angry."
"Or that's when they're not thinking straight."
There's silence for a moment, then, "I wasn't gonna go."
"Hm?"
"I wasn't going to go to America. And I wouldn't have if Haru hadn't told me to. She's the one who really convinced me… in the end."
I'm going to kill him. Kyoya seethed. Even after that impressive speech, Kaoru is no better at dealing with his friends than his brother. How dare he assume Jin would be that selfish? And now she's in tears, and it's all his fault!
"Is that what you guys… really think I did?"
"Let me in, Jin. Please."
It takes a moment, but he eventually hears the lock sliding back into the door. Reaching up, Kyoya slowly twists the doorknob and pushes the door open. Jin slides back on the floor until the boy can slip into the room. There are little rivulets of black mascara trailing her cheeks and Kyoya gently grips the girl's elbows, leading her to her feet and into the bathroom. She sniffled miserably as Kyoya starts washing the ruined make-up off of her face with a washcloth.
He'd just finished her left eye when he attempt conversation again, "We didn't know what made you leave for America. You and your sister are so close it seems almost impossible for you to survive without each other, and yet you were separated for a year. Then, just now, you attempted to put a stop to Haruhi's first date. We didn't know what to think. I'm sorry we doubting you."
Jin managed a watery smile, closing her eyes as Kyoya started swiping at her right eye, "I forgive you, Kyo-kun. But you weren't totally wrong. Haruhi and I do prefer to spend a lot of time together, especially as we grow older. Eventually we might not have this much time together, once we go to colleges and start our own lives, and we want to spend as much as possible with each other. But…"
Kyoya wiped the last traces of make-up off her forehead, pleased to see his usual Jin stare back at him, "But that's not the reason you wanted to call her a moment ago?"
"It's not."
"Then why?"
Tick.
Jin gasped, head swiveling to the window in the bedroom.
Tick. Tick-tick.
Jumping off the sink counter, the brunette hurried to the window. She bit her lower lip as the raindrops started hitting the glass harder and faster. Thunder boomed, much closer this time. The hotel room quickly grew darker as the natural light from the window was slowly overtaken by dark clouds.
"Because of this. I need to get my phone!"
He was completely confused, but Kyoya followed her out of the room anyways. Jin skipped to a halt in the cafe just as Misuzu-chi placed the Pension's landline phone back on the receiver.
"Hikaru left Haruhi in front of the Arai produce shop, saying he'd come back to the Pension by himself, but Haruhi went after him. I don't know why they're not back yet!" Jin's eyes grow wide and Kyoya manages to grab the girl around her waist before she can make a break for the door.
"Let me go, Kyoya! I have to find her!"
"Jin, it's pouring rain out there and pitch black! You could get lost!"
Defeated for the moment, Jin shakes Kyoya off and marches up to Mori, "Phone. Now. " He doesn't even hesitate, and Jin quickly starts scrolling through her contact list, "Tamaki, you call that moron and tell him to get his ass in gear and find Haru! "
"Jin-chan? What's going on?"
She doesn't respond, cradling the phone by her ear, " Please pick up please pick up please- Haru? Haru! I'm so sorry! I tried to call sooner but I couldn't! Where are you? Okay… okay, I think Tamaki is getting Hikaru to go find you. Just stay put and… hm? Oh, okay." Jin pulled her phone away from her ear and whispered, " Tamaki, tell Hikaru that Haru is in the Lutheran church between the train station and the cupcake shop. Haru? No, I'm here. I'm here, Haru."
Jin walked off to the far corner of the cafe, sinking down in a chair. She begins singing a soft song just as Tamaki's back straightens. He must've contacted Hikaru.
The other boys jump as he starts shouting into the mouthpiece.
"You idiot! What kind of jerk leaves a girl out in a thunderstorm like this by herself? Now you listen to me, you turn yourself around and find Haruhi or so help me I will sick Jin on your butt! Haruhi is terrified of thunder to the point where she can barely move! Thank goodness Haruhi has her phone or you wouldn't even have a starting point! She's holed up in the Lutheran church and is probably terrified out of her mind thanks to you! Why don't you spend less time being jealous and worry about someone else for once!"
Snap!
Tamaki glares at the ground, arms shaking with the anger he wasn't able to convey in his short message. The cafe was silent as the others began soaking in this new information. A soft song the only sound above the thunder crashing around the building.
' Deep in the meadow…
Under the willow…'
As one, the hosts turn to Jin. Fresh tears are growing in the corners of her eyes, her legs tucked up against her chest.
' A bed of grass…
A soft… green pillow...
Lay down your head
And close your eyes…
And when they open…
The sun will rise…'
They walk over to her, taking their own seats to listen. At a closer look, Jin looked to have aged five years in the past five seconds. Her body shook, leaning into the closest body she could, which just happened to be Kyoya's. The boys remained silent as she kept singing, voice thick with her previous crying.
' Here… it's safe
Here… it's warm
Here the daisy's guard…
You from ev'ry harm…
Here your dreams are sweet
And tomorrow brings… them true
Here is the place…
Where… I love you…'
She shuddered once before starting up another song. It was just as sad as the first one, laced with guilt and desperation and sorrow. Kyoya could only imagine what Jin was hearing from the other end of the line; Haruhi's cries for her sister no doubt.
Ten minutes of this torture and Jin suddenly stopped in the middle of a verse, "H-Hikaru? Oh, thank god. J-just put your headphones on her and carry her back to the Pension! She can deal with rain just fine, but block out the thunder and bring her home. Please!"
She was shaking as she finally put down her phone. Sniffling, she turned fully towards Kyoya and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He held the crying girl close, whispering phrases of 'Everything's going to be okay' and 'It's alright, now' to her. It seemed to calm her down a little, at least enough to stop crying and just lay her head against his shoulder.
"Jin-senpai… I'm so sorry." Kaoru was staring at his hands, "I didn't know…"
"You should've let me explain." Jin's voice was bitter as she stood and walked to the front of the Pension. She took a seat on the piano bench and stared out the window. Knowing she did it to be alone for a while, the boys remained where they were.
"So, how come Jin-chan isn't afraid of thunder like Haru-chan?"
"Phobias aren't inherited, they're learned. Haruhi is terrified of thunder, whereas Jin has Galeophobia, which is the fear of sharks. That's why she didn't go swimming at the beach."
"Sharks? But… I was talking to Haruhi just the other day, and she said one of her favorite movies of all time was Jaws. The American Movie about a man-eating shark. Actually, she liked the whole franchise."
"And Jin-chan loves thunderstorms. She said they were actually calming to her."
"Two sides of the same coin, it would appear."
"Wait…" Tamaki tilted his head, "How do you know Jin's phobia?"
"How did you know of Haruhi's? I'm assuming we both learned on the same day, when you instigated that game to discover the girl's fear. There was a thunderstorm that day, too, if I recall, and Jin didn't jump into the ocean after Haruhi was thrown off the cliff."
"Right. That makes sense…"
They continued making small talk, casting worried looks at Jin as she waited impatiently for Hikaru to bring Haruhi back to the Pension. She's clearly not happy that she couldn't go out and find the two herself in the middle of the storm, but not even Kyoya dared to approach her for a third time to talk to her.
Kaoru looked between the two 2nd years. It's been ups and downs for the two of them over the past three days. First she was upset that Kyoya was still talking to her dad behind her back, then they were pretty much attached at the hip while he and the others played the refreshing game. The two of them were texting each other for almost an hour that night and probably last night as well. Then came Beni, then his sexuality, then Kaoru's clothing choice, and now this. It was like the world was against Kaoru's plan!
Okay, fine, yes, they had all agreed to let the two of them "figure it out themselves" but come on! Kyoya was as stubborn as they came, and Jin wouldn't make a move if she wasn't absolutely sure . So what if Kaoru had tried to move things along? Kyoya had just gotten through a scare of Jin possibly having another love interest, for crying out loud! It had seemed like the perfect opportunity to give them that extra little shove in the right direction, so Kaoru might've asked for his maids to make Jin look drop-dead gorgeous for the day.
And now he had a crying girl on his hands and an idiotic brother to smack. But hey, at least Kyoya had gone straight to Jin's side. Maybe something had happened in the Fujioka's Pension room?
He opened his mouth to ask, but just then Jin jumped up from the bench and ran out the front door.
"Jin!"
The hosts went to give chase, but quickly backed out of the way as she came back inside, completely drenched and carrying a soaked Haruhi in her arms. Hikaru was right behind them, shutting the door behind them. Haruhi clings tightly to Jin like her life depended on it, whimpering softly into her sister's bare shoulder. Jin at least seemed to have regained some of her vitality, calmly holding Haruhi in a nearby chair.
"Tamaki? Remember that music player and pair of headphones from when we went to the beach? They should be in Haru's suitcase's outside pocket."
The blond nodded, running off to fetch it.
"Why are you making Tamaki get that?"
Jin sighed into Haruhi's wet hair, rubbing the little girl's cold arms to attempt to warm her back up, "When I left for America, I knew Haru would need something for thunderstorms while I was gone. I made about thirty covers of different songs for her."
"Got it!"
Tamaki skidded to a stop and covered Haruhi's ears with a pair of headphones, pressing the small device into her hands. Without even opening her eyes, Haruhi powered up the music player and pressed play, skipping a few songs until she stopped on one that was loud enough to block out the huge rolls of thunder.
Instantly the small girl relaxed, snuggling up closer into Jin's embrace. Everyone let out a huge sigh as Haruhi opened her eyes. The glaze of fear was gone, replaced by a little confusion.
"Nēchan?"
Jin rubbed at Haruhi's shoulders again, "I'm right here."
Kaoru sat down weakly across from the sisters, a hand running through his hair, "You thought of everything before you left, didn't you?"
She sighed, "Yeah. I tried."
* The Next Day *
Ding!
"Hello!"
"We bring melon!"
Haruhi, bright eyed and bushy-tailed once again, smiled at the newcomers, "Hey guys! I was wondering when you'd get here!"
"Woah! That watermelon's huge! "
"I know, right? Our uncle's a wizard when it comes to farming! Hey, Jin-chan!" The taller brunette had just exited the kitchen and stopped as she was addressed by her best friend, "How's your watermelon cutting?"
"A little rusty…" the girl walked up to inspect the fruit, "But I think I'll manage."
Beni smiled at his friend, then turned back to her little sister, "Hey, Haruhi. How're you feeling?"
"I'm alright, now. Thanks for calling Misuzu-chi last night."
"I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I hadn't." The tall blond patted her head before turning back to his own brother.
Hikaru was standing beside him.
The two stared at each other for a moment before Hikaru smiled softly and took the melon from Hiroshi's hands, "Thanks. You wanna stick around for some?"
It was surprising, but everyone else quickly dissolved into smiles. High above them all, Kaoru and Kyoya watched as their friends began making plans. Honey wanted to just smash the melon, Jin and Beni thought it would be more fair to cut it up, and Hikaru was comparing its size to Tamaki's head.
"Kaoru? A question about your strategy, if I may?"
"I assume you've already had this conversation with Jin-senpai, but go on."
Kyoya chuckled, "Fair enough. Did you ever consider the possibility that the date would go too well and Hikaru would fall in love with Haruhi?"
"No way, it's way too soon for Hikaru to begin processing the bigger emotions like love. Hikaru's kinda a dummy when it comes to stuff like this."
"Well then he's lucky, because our club is full of dummies."
"Except for Jin-senpai?"
Kyoya eyes Kaoru, "Yes… except for Jin."
Kaoru smirks and straightens up, ready to head downstairs and have some watermelon, but he hesitates. Beating around the bush didn't do anything, but perhaps a direct hit…
"Just so you know, the rest of us aren't as oblivious as you think, Kyoya-senpai. We all know you feel something special for Jin-senpai. My advice? Don't wait too long trying to figure that out in your head. Don't lose her just because you're afraid of rejection."
He noted the tightness in Kyoya's voice as he responds, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh? I think you do. Just think about it, Kyoya-senpai; at least about how much she means to you."
Kyoya watched the redhead for a moment before returning his attention to Jin. She's smiling and watching the others laugh at Tamaki's outraged expressions, looking reserved and peaceful. A complete 180 from last night. Did Kaoru mean what I think he meant? Do the others know about my feelings? Has Jin picked up on them as well?
Jin suddenly glanced up at Kyoya and smiles. The ravenet can't help but smile back as she waves, beckoning him down to join her and the others. He smirks and follows Kaoru down the stairs.
Then again... maybe he has a point.