This is the prequel to "Weight of the Ootori Name," and it actually occurs pretty directly before the start of chapter one. I just preferred having the other story start where it starts, and this is more Yoshio and Haruhi centric—Kyouya doesn't even show up. This prequel was actually written after chapter five (back in March 2014), and there were some ridiculous discrepancies between this and chapter one… I fixed it, don't worry. :)

When I am actively working on this series again, I might come back and edit some stuff.

Thank you, everyone, for reading this piece of work. I hope you will enjoy it. (I wonder if there's anyone still reads Ouran fanfics besides me...)

Summary: The prequel to "The Weight of the Ootori Name." It was an accident—of course it was. But it was an accident that tore apart Haruhi's world. And, as he met Haruhi's blinking and question eyes, Yoshio, for all of his knowledge, did not know how to tell her that her father was dead. No pairing.

Welcome to the Ootori Family

A tug on his shirt's edge caused Yoshio to turn around. A flicker of surprise shot through his eyes upon seeing a little girl behind him. She was about six or seven, and had big chocolate brown eyes and shoulder-length chestnut brown hair.

Once she realized she had his attention, the girl retracted her hand and asked, "Excuse me, mister, how is my daddy?"

"Your father?" Yoshio repeated, not comprehending the question.

The girl nodded. "Yes, my father."

"I am sorry, but I am afraid I would not know how your father is faring," Yoshio replied with a seemingly regretful expression.

The girl tilted her head sideways as confusion clouded her face. "But you just came out of my daddy's room…"

Yoshio's eyes widened in shock. "Your father's room…?" Yoshio's eyes trailed to the room he just left before returning to the girl. "What is your name, little one?"

"Oh!" The girl's eyes widened in realization as she quickly bowed in greeting and a tinge of red appeared on her face. "I am very sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Fujioka Haruhi, it is nice to meet you. Please take care of me."

Yoshio, in turn, was startled and, as the name processed in his mind, he figured out who this little girl's father was: Fujioka Ryouji, the man his driver just killed. However, just to confirm his assumption, Yoshio questioned, "Do you happen to be the daughter of Fujioka Ryouji?"

Haruhi straightened her back and nodded frantically. "Yes, mister. How is he?"

Yoshio's expression instantly turned grim and mournful, and the realization on Haruhi's face indicated she knew what he was about to say. Slowly, Yoshio began, "I am sorry, little one, unfortunately, Fujioka-san has passed away."

Haruhi looked down onto the floor, and a frown dominated her face as she harshly swallowed. Moments of silence passed before Haruhi looked back up at Yoshio with a hopeful expression. "Was it quick and painless, mister?"

"…Pardon me?" Yoshio was thoroughly astonished; he was expecting a stream of tears, not an unexpected question like that.

"Was daddy's death quick and painless?" Haruhi clarified, misunderstanding Yoshio's confusion.

Yoshio morosely nodded. "Yes, it was very quick with the minimal amount of pain."

"That's good." Haruhi donned on a small smile for a few seconds before returning her eyes to the floor.

"May I inquire as to why you asked such a question, Fujioka-san?" Yoshio was hesitant, but his curiosity was stronger.

"Well, my mommy passed away last year after suffering for several months. It was a very slow and painful death; I wouldn't want that for daddy," Haruhi responded with a sad frown as she remembered visiting her mommy as often as she could while her mommy was in the hospital. Although she had on a smile every time she visited her mommy, her heart broke a little every time her mommy's condition worsened, and she just wanted to cry as hard as she could, but it would not make her mommy happy.

Yoshio did not know how to feel. On one hand, he was proud of Haruhi's sentiment; on the other, he was saddened by the fact that Haruhi had to go through that experience. He could only nod with a small smile and stated, "Yes."

Another moment of silence before Haruhi spoke up again, "How did daddy die?"

It was the question Yoshio dreaded. How was he supposed to tell the little girl that her father died because his driver was driving under the influence, and Yoshio indirectly caused the man's death?

Apparently, he stayed silent for too long because Haruhi was calling him. "Mister? Mister?"

"Ah, I apologize, I was distracted. Your father died because he was hit by my car. I did not notice my driver was driving under the influence of alcohol and a lack of sleep. He fell asleep while driving and ran right into your father while he was crossing a street during a pedestrian green light. I am deeply sorry."

Haruhi solemnly nodded as she absorbed the information she was just given. "Did he have any chances of survival?"

Where are these questions coming from? Yoshio thought as he was, yet again, startled by the girl's questions.

Taking a deep breath, Yoshio answered with a negative shake of his head, "No, unfortunately, he did not. The impact caused him to snap his neck, so he died on impact."

"Oh." A frown appeared on her face again. Then, she bowed and said, "Thank you for answering my questions, mister."

Yoshio opened his mouth and was about to voice his objection when two policemen entered the hallway from a nearby door, and noticing the girl, called out, "Fujioka-chan?"

Haruhi turned to face them with a tilt of her head. "Yes?" Upon recognizing the two men as the policemen who visited her apartment, informed her of her father's accident, and brought her to the hospital, Haruhi bowed in greeting while saying, "Hello again, Ryoutarou-san, Nakagomi-san."

The two men both had an expression of sadness and sympathy as they stopped in front of the girl. The taller man, Ryoutarou Kise, spoke up first, "Hello again, Fujioka-chan. We have something to ask you. Do you have any relatives that can take care of you, Fujioka-chan?"

Haruhi was not particularly happy or unhappy when she shook her head in negation. "No, I do not. My daddy's parents disowned him; my mommy was an only child, and her parents have passed away already."

A frown appeared on his face. "Oh." Then, he looked to his partner, Nakagomi Keisuke, for assistance.

Keisuke reluctantly informed, "Fujioka-chan, I am afraid we will have to send you to an orphanage while we try to contact your father's family or any other relatives you might possibly have."

Haruhi nodded in understanding and stated, "I understand, but I am afraid you will not have any luck finding someone.

Kise's frown deepened. "Why—"

"Excuse me, gentlemen," Yoshio spoke up at that opportune moment, catching the attention of the three. "Would it be possible for me to adopt Fujioka-san?"

The two policemen's eyes widened in surprise as they recognized the man in front of them and processed his words. Although they were distracted by Haruhi's situation, how in the world did they not notice the esteemed Ootori Yoshio standing in front of them when they entered the room? The two men hastily bowed and greeted, "Ootori-sama!"

Haruhi sent Yoshio a look of surprise.

Yoshio nodded at the men in response and shot Haruhi an "I will explain later" look. "So, would it be possible?"

The unnamed policeman had on a look of hesitation. "Well, it would, but first, we must contact all of Haruhi's relatives before you can start the adoption process."

Yoshio had a small frown as he asked, "And how long will that be?"

"Eh, it will typically take a week." It was a reluctant answer; the man knew the esteemed Ootori patriarch will not be happy with his answer.

Yoshio's eyes hardened. "Can you do it in two days instead?"

"Um…"

"Can you do it in two days instead?" Yoshio repeated with a lot more force behind his words; it was clear he will only take an affirmation.

"I…"

Still seeing the hesitance in the men's eyes, Yoshio added, "What if I lend you men from the Ootori Taskforce? Will it be possible then?"

The two men immediately nodded with relief. Although they would have liked to agree to Ootori-sama's request, it simply was not possible. Not only will they have to research and locate all of Haruhi's relatives, they would also have to contact all of them. And on top of that, they still have other police work to do.

Yoshio nodded in satisfaction and called out, "Hyuuga-san."

A man immediately walked in from the same door the policemen used. He was dressed in a well-kempt tuxedo, and had nicely trimmed black hair and an emotionless expression. He bowed in greeting before inquiring, "Yes, Ootori-sama?"

"Please assign these two gentlemen with as many Secret Police agent as they need to help them with their task, which I am confident you have heard already, correct?"

Hyuuga-san, or better known as Hyuuga Kiyoshi, nodded his head. "Yes. Is there anything else you need?"

Yoshio nodded and turned to the two policemen again. "Can Fujioka-san stay with me instead while this investigation is going on?"

The two men shared a look before nodding in acquiescence. Kise replied, "I don't see any harm in that, so yes."

Yoshio's attention redirected to Kiyoshi. "Please make arrangements for Fujioka-san at my usual hotel and Fujioka-san, would you like to accompany Hyuuga-san to pick up anything from your house?"

Haruhi nodded with a grateful smile. "Yes, please."

"Alright, Hyuuga-san, please assist Fujioka-san with everything."

Kiyoshi nodded, and once Haruhi followed Kiyoshi out of the room, Yoshio's eyes focused on the two policemen. "Is Hiroaka-san arrested and charged?"

"Hiroaka-san?" Then, a light bulb went off in Kise's head. "Oh, Hiroaka Shige-san? Yes, after the doctors attended to the light scratches on him, he was sent to jail and has pled guilty to all of the charges we directed towards him."

A gleam entered Yoshio's eyes. "Good. What is the maximum and minimum sentence he will be served?"

Cold sweat dotted the back of Kise's neck. "For involuntary vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol, the minimum is 15 years and a fine of 40 million, and the maximum is 20 years and a fine of 50 million. Also, his license will be revoked, and he will receive a ticket for driving over the speed limit and running a red light, which will be about 40 thousand yen."

"And what are the chances he will receive the maximum sentence?"

"Because he pled guilty, about ten percent. However, because of his deeds, it is likely he will receive a sentence that is close to the maximum."

"Good." It was simple and blunt, but it conveyed all of his intent to his listeners.

They could not help but agree; they strongly believed that if Hiroaka Shige-san was not prosecuted properly, Ootori Yoshio and the Ootori Secret Police would impose a worse fate upon the man, and they weren't sure whether to approve or disapprove.

"Ootori-sama, why do you want to adopt me?"

Ootori Yoshio glanced at the girl sitting opposite of him in the limo they were currently in; they were currently heading towards the Ootori family estate. It has been five days since they first met, but after their meeting in the hospital, Haruhi has only seen him thrice, and only in passing. Yoshio has been busy dealing with the aftermath of the accident, especially the media aspect, and Haruhi's adoption, which went fairly smoothly—being an Ootori definitely had its perks. Fortunately, none of Haruhi's relatives were even remotely interested in adopting Haruhi, which might have been due to relatives remaining ignorant of the Ootori family desiring to adopt Haruhi, so the process was fairly smooth.

If they had a funeral, it would have taken them longer to deal with everything (and more expensive, not that money was an issue), but Haruhi realized that only her father's co-workers and close friends would come, so she had a small reception at the okama bar that her father worked at instead. It was very simple, memorable and enjoyable; it was exactly the type of gathering that her father would have wanted them to have in his name. Her father's friends were ecstatic that she did not end up in an orphanage and ended up in a respectable household instead; so according to them, if there was anything good that came out their friend's death, it was that it was Yoshio's driver who hit him, and Yoshio wanted to adopt her.

But back to the current situation, Hyuuga Kiyoshi, who Haruhi learned was Yoshio's personal assistant, was sitting next to Yoshio, glancing back and forth between the PDA in his left hand and documents in his right hand. Kiyoshi, with his attention fully concentrated on what is in front of him, took no notice of their conversation.

"Because I feel responsible for your father's death, and because you seem to be full of potential. I would hate for your potential to be wasted by going to an orphanage. I want to harvest this potential and watch it grow. You are very interesting, Fujioka-san," Yoshio frankly responded, startling Kiyoshi, who was listening after all.

To be honest, Yoshio's decision had surprised Kiyoshi. He has been Ootori-sama's personal assistant for almost seven years now, and the amount of kindness he has seen in the past five days was more than he has seen in the entire seven years. Ootori Yoshio was not known to be a kind or philanthropic man; he was strict, apathetic, bordering on ruthless and completely business-minded. Some might even say he was callous and cold-hearted. More importantly, Ootori-sama has never bothered to directly harvest any potentials that he witnessed or observed either. Kiyoshi's conclusion was: Fujioka Haruhi must be a spectacularly special girl to attract this type of attention from the Ootori patriarch.

Noticing his assistant's reaction, a small smirk lit up on Yoshio's face before he quickly hid it behind a neutral expression as he awaited Haruhi's response.

"Thank you. I am not sure what made me interesting, but I will certainly do my best to prove myself to you and to ensure that you will not be disappointed in me, Ootori-sama," Haruhi respectfully replied, and since she was in a car and could not bow, she nodded her head instead.

Yoshio answered with a mysterious smile, "I am sure you will."

Though Haruhi's curiosity was piqued by his response, she kept silent and voiced another question, "What was Hiroaka-san's sentence?"

Trials like vehicular manslaughter do typically take months to process, but because it involved a high profile person like Ootori Yoshio, the courts wanted to process it as quickly as possible, so as soon as there was a cancellation, with the defense attorney's reluctant agreement, they held the trial of Hiroaka Shige.

"Because he pled guilty and displayed evident remorse, and it was his first offence, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison and a 50 million yen fine, and he has two tickets for running a red light and speeding, so that will be about 40 thousand yen," Yoshio stated with satisfaction.

If Hiroaka Shige had been a wealthy or prominent man with a capable lawyer, he probably could have knocked off a year or two from his jail time and several million from his fine. However, he was a simple man who is considered middle class at most, and he did not have adequate resources to acquire such a lawyer. Plus, because the trial was so rushed, his defense attorney, which was provided by the government, did not have an adequate amount of time to prepare, exactly as Yoshio desired.

To Yoshio's surprise, Haruhi frowned at that and seemed to be deep in thought. A few minutes passed in silence before she spoke up, "Ootori-sama, I know I have no room to request this, but can you please help Hiroaka-san pay all of his fines after talking to his family about it and if they agree. However, you will only allow them to pay half of the amount back without interest, and tell them the rest is your form of compensation. Then, think of the other half as a form of investment, as soon as I acquire a job and earnings, I will begin to pay you the full amount of the other half with interest."

Yoshio was thoroughly astonished by Haruhi's offer. Why is she helping that man when she knows very well that he killed her father? All he could utter was a "Why?"

Haruhi looked thoughtful as she said her next words, "Because I do not want his family paying for his crimes. While Hiroaka-san is in prison for the next 18 years, who, but his family, would be paying his fine? He definitely has a certain amount of saving from working under you, but his wife will be burdened with the care of their children and acquiring a job. I do not want them to have a fifty million debt hanging over them while she is doing so. I admit I am very angry at Hiroaka-san for taking my daddy away from me, but his family should not suffer because of him. Like me, his two children, in their way, lost their daddy too. And Hiroaka-san's relationship, or the lack of a relationship, with his children will be his ultimate punishment."

As Haruhi explained, memory of her encounter with Hiroaka-san at his prison facility ran through her mind. The image of the sobbing and kneeling Hiroaka-san, begging for her forgiveness, was seared into her mind. She could still remember how she felt the burn of her tears desiring to be released.

She was angry, and she wanted to repeatedly hit Hiroaka-san for taking away her father or shout at him angrily, but she was Haruhi, and such behavior simply didn't fit her. All she could ask the man was a simple and toneless "Do you regret it?"

Hiroaka-san sobbed harder at her question and nodded frantically as he replied, "Yes, yes, I do. Every single second. The guilt eats me away."

Haruhi merely nodded and gave him a bitter smile as she patted the man's head once, stood up from the chair she was sitting on and said, "Stay well, Hiroaka-san."

Then, Haruhi left the room without another glance at the man who was still sobbing pitifully and staring at Haruhi's retreating figure with surprise coloring his face. He understood that the girl didn't forgive him, and she was still angry, but she still wished him well and did not shout her resentments at him. This only made him feel even more guilty and remorseful. He would never be able to replace the life he took from her, and he will have to live with that.

When her memory ended, she looked up and saw Ootori-sama watching her with an incomprehensible smile. She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Yes, Ootori-sama?"

"How? How can you be like that?" Yoshio's gaze turned dissecting as though he was trying to analyze everything.

"Be like what?" Haruhi's confusion thickened.

"Be so considerate and thoughtful. You are only seven years old, and you just lost your father. How can you still think of his family?"

Haruhi blinked owlishly as she processed his words. "Isn't it only natural?"

Kiyoshi couldn't help but snort at that, interrupting the two, who have basically forgotten about the poor man's existence. Realizing his folly, Kiyoshi's cheeks tinted red. "My apologies, but I couldn't help it. Haruhi-chan, it is not natural to care about someone like that after such an inexcusable action. In fact, most people would be too angry and sad to think about anything but their loss, and most would feel satisfied by Hiroaka-san's sentence or feel he deserved more. They would not be thinking about his family."

"Oh." Haruhi carefully processed Kiyoshi's words and wondered why she didn't react like most people.

"Heh, you are truly one of your kind, Haruhi-chan." Kiyoshi's words were accompanied by a kind smile.

As this exchange happened, Yoshio's eyes darted between the two, noticing the affectionate attitude that Kiyoshi, his typically unflappable and apathetic assistant, adopted while interacting with Haruhi. Interesting.

"Hyuuga-san is correct. Your reaction is truly unusual—in a positive way, of course," Yoshio inputted.

"Thank you for your kind words." Haruhi looked at both men while saying it. Her tone turned more serious as she asked, "So, Ootori-sama, will you accept my offer?"

"After careful consideration, yes, I will accept your preposition. However, I will not accept any interest from you," Yoshio agreed, surprising Kiyoshi once more. This proposal did not have any benefit whatsoever, and yet, Yoshio, being the cold and calculating businessman that he is, is willing to accept it?

This girl is truly one of a kind. Kiyoshi hid the amused smile that appeared before anyone could witness it.

"Thank you so much, Ootori-sama. I will never forget your kindness! I will definitely repay everything!" If they weren't in a car, Haruhi would surely be bowing profusely.

Kindness? Kiyoshi mentally snorted. That word should stay an entire planet (maybe even a galaxy) away from Ootori Yoshio. Ootori-sama does not have kindness, simple as that. Well, I suppose he is showing kindness towards Haruhi-chan? So maybe there is some kindness that was buried deep, deep inside him? That's certainly a thought.

Yoshio simply nodded before looking out the window.

"Ootori-sama, what was your sentence?"

Yoshio turned towards the girl before responding, "Although I was the provider, owner and passenger of the vehicle, I was also unaware my driver was driving under the influence of alcohol, and I am willing to take responsibility for my ignorance. Also, Hiroaka-san was only driving under the influence, not intoxicated, so I do not have any jail time, but I have to pay a 50 million yen fine."

Haruhi nodded, saying, "I see." Then, another question popped up in her head. "Does your family know you adopted me?"

Yoshio smiled. "They will know during the announcement at dinner."

Haruhi's eyes widened in surprise.

Before Haruhi could respond, the car slowly stopped and Kiyoshi instantly exited the limo and held the door open. "We are here, Ootori-sama, Haruhi-chan."

Haruhi hesitantly followed Yoshio, who was already placing his foot onto the ground, and with the help of Kiyoshi, she exited the limo. Looking up, her eyes was met with a modern, elegant and enormous mansion. Her face minimally betrayed her surprise, and the two men amusedly watched her as she took in her surroundings, turning a 360 to completely survey everything. "Wow. You live here, Ootori-sama?"

Yoshio nodded with a small smile. "Well, let's go in. Before I have a maid show you around though, I would like to have you meet Ootori Kyouya, my youngest son."

Recognizing the name as the boy whose companion she is about to become, a hint of uncertainty entered Haruhi's eyes before it was swiftly replaced with resolution. "Yes, Ootori-sama."

"Remember, Haruhi, if there is anything you need, feel free to ask me, alright?" Yoshio stated with a hint of pressure and waited for Haruhi's nod before he nodded with satisfaction and turned back to face his estate. "Welcome to the Ootori Family, Haruhi."

[Notes] (Very long.)

Haruhi is seven years old in this chapter; Kyouya is eight.

In case anyone noticed, yes, I am absolutely ripping names from other anime/manga and mixing and matching them here. And because I was obsessed with Kuroko no Basuke fanfics and art when I wrote this, there are quite a few of those—the most obvious being Hyuuga Kiyoshi.

I did research the Japanese laws regarding vehicular manslaughter, and it took me quite a while. I used the Japanese (Tokyo, I believe) Metropolitan Police Department website, the "Penalties of Drunk Driving," which I used Google web translate to understand. And when I tried to search the penalty for running a red light in Japan, I barely came up with any results, so I changed the search phrase to "Japanese red light" and got results about the Japanese Red Light District and prostitution… *sweatdrops* So I just searched for a U.S. state's penalty for running a red light and converted the amount to Japanese yen. Also, I couldn't find the minimum sentence and/or fine for those charges, so I just kind of made them up. But I tried to be as accurate as I could; sorry if I messed anything up!

I specifically label the driver's action as "driving under the influence of alcohol" because "driving intoxicated" has a different maximum sentence and fine. As opposed to the 3 years and 50 million yen of "driving under the influence of alcohol," driving intoxicated incurs a maximum of 5 years and 100 million yen, indicating "driving intoxicated" is more of a smashed and drunk driving while the other is more of an I-have-alcohol-in-my-system-that-may-or-may-not-be-over-the-blood-alcohol-content-limit-but-I-am-not-drunk-yet driving. And if it was the former, Ootori Yoshio would have noticed. Trust me, he would have.

You will see tons of bowing and "thank you" in this fanfic because it is simply the custom of Japanese. They are very polite, formal and respectful.

According to Wikipedia, on the "Human rights in Japan," "[t]he average trial period in 2005 was 3.2 months for criminal cases and 8.2 months for civil cases. The length of time before a suspect was brought to trial depended on the nature of the crime, but rarely exceeded 3 months from the date of arrest; the average was 1 to 2 months." However, "[a]lthough most criminal trials were completed within a reasonable length of time, cases occasionally took several years to work their way through the trial and appeals process." But those are probably complicated cases. And in "July 2003, law . . . imposes a 2 year time limit for courts to bring criminal and civil trials to conclusion."

In Japan, according to "Penalties of Drunk Driving," the penalty for being the provider of a drunk driver vehicle is 5 years jail time and 100 million yen fine, and the penalty for being the passenger of a drunk driver vehicle is 3 years jail time and 50 million yen fine.

50 million yen is about $487,950, 40 thousand yen is about $390, and 75 million yen is about $730,409.

I am on Tumblr (kurochatchan), feel free to come say hi. It's a dump for my other fics and plotbunnies, it's multi-fandom, and I reblog or post other stuff occasionally.