a/n: I aged up Kirimi to being 6 just because it didn't feel quite right for her to be 3 in this.

Chapter 21: What Started As…Observations

The sky was overcast with clouds in Okinawa as the father and daughter enjoyed the car ride in silence. Kadamatsu had picked them up from the train station and was currently driving the two to their beachside destination. Haruhi had been quiet ever since the night before, and Ranka made sure to hold her hand every chance he got to comfort her from her thoughts. It was his idea to go through with the vacation in the first place, and he hoped he distraction would be good for his daughter. Despite the situation, he found himself slightly indebted to Umehito for allowing them to grow even closer. He hadn't realized the extent that Host club had done to his little girl, and he was just glad that she was away from them finally. The debt was something they could deal with at a later time, for now he just wanted the girl to enjoy herself.

"We have arrived."

Kadamatsu's voice cut through their thoughts as he opened the door for them.

"I shall take your luggage to your rooms."

"Oh my, thank you so very much for you help!"

Haruhi was glad that her dad was still his usual, jovial self. She was afraid that her actions would have caused the man to be on edge the whole trip. She wanted him to enjoy himself too since it wasn't that often that the two of them could spend time together like this. Hopefully the small break would be good for him.

"Oh look dear, there they are! Привет! Hello! It's so great to see you again Haruhi! Oh, and you must be her father."

Anastasia's golden hair bounced around her as she excitedly descended the steps to in her cream coat and faux fur boots. She looked like a fairy bounding down the steps and the two of them couldn't help but be a little awestruck by her. No one would be able to tell that she was a mother to two children already. Behind her, the rest of the Nekozawa family came down to meet them.

Umehito was donned once more in his dark wig, though instead of his cloak he wore a stylish black trench coat (probably at the insistence of his mother) and dark gray jeans. Kirimi's usual blonde pigtails were down to accommodate the pink fluffy hat she had on. She was also dressed in a coat that resembled a pink dress with matching pink boots. Behind the two siblings was another member of the Nekozawa, one who the girl had never seen before.

He was a tall, gorgeous man who looked like the spitting image of Umehito. Or was it that Umehito was the spitting image of him? He was around an inch or two taller than the wigged man next to him, and had naturally black hair that was slicked back elegantly as opposed to Umehito's usually shaggy style. He wore an open black coat that revealed a gray vest and white button up shirt underneath with black slacks. He looked just like Vincent Phantomhive from Black Butler (look him up he's a beautiful man). Kirimi cutely tugged on the man's coat while pointing at Haruhi.

"Papa, this is the bookworm! She reads to me a lot and she's very nice."

It was a nice statement with no ill-intentions behind it no doubt, but it did make Haruhi's smile falter after being called a 'bookworm' by the young girl again. She really needed to tell the younger girl that she didn't really like being called that.

The older gentleman chuckled and patted the girl's head gently. His eyes, which were a black as the night sky, turned to look at Haruhi and her father.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you two. I'm Kurosuke Nekozawa, Umehito and Kirmi's father, and this is my wife, Anastasia."

The woman waved in greeting with a giant smile on her face. She grabbed her husband's arm absolutely giddy with excitement. They were a beautiful couple with beautiful children.

"Oh my, the two of you are just absolutely lovely! Please, just call me Ranka. Thank you so much for taking care of my dear Haruhi."

Haruhi was worried about how her father would interact with Umehito's parents, but from the look of his excitement which matched with the energy of Anastasia, it seemed like she was worried for no reason. She had a feeling that the two of them would end up being good friends.

"Isn't this exciting dear? Our little baby Ume's first friend!"

"Mother!"

Umehito's face reddened with embarrassment. His mother laughed lightheartedly as she continued teasing him. Kirimi had climbed into her father's arms as the man just quietly enjoyed the sight of watching his wife and son interacting.

Somewhere along the lines, Anastasia and Ranka began chatting with each other as if they were long time friends who were finally catching up. Umehito moved to stand next to Haruhi, and the two of them shared awkward smiles as they were forced to listen to embarrassing stories about their childhood being shared by their parents.

"Dear, I'm sure the children want to enjoy this little trip too." Kurosuke interrupted the two new friends politely. "How about the adults take a trip to the shopping center in town while they enjoy the beach?"

"Oh what a marvelous idea!" Both Anastasia and Ranka exclaimed while clasping hands.

Yep, two pees in a pod.

"Umehito," the father said, turning to his son, "you are the host while we're away, be sure to be gracious to our guest."

"Of course father, I will."

The man seemed to stare at his son for a long time, with a slight frown on his face. Kirimi, who was still in her father's arms, looked at her brother curiously. She looked like she was thinking for a moment before her face brightened up in realization.

"No no big brother, you've never said that before! You always called papa 'papa' and now papa's sad because you called him something different!" She then turned her attention to Haruhi. "Oh I get it! Big brother is trying to look cool in front of the bookworm!"

Umehito's face brightened even more as he squatted down not-so-gracefully to bury his face in his hands. Kurosuke chuckled lightly at his son and gently put his daughter back on the ground.

Anastasia watched the scene with a small smile on her face while Ranka watched with a mixed feelings. He really didn't know how to feel about what he was seeing.

"Now, dear Ranka let's see what the shops in Okinawa have to offer yes?"

But he'll think about that later.

The children bid their parents farewell as they went out for their shopping trip. Kirimi insisted that they visit the beach even though it was still very cold out, so they decided to go after bundling up just a little bit more. There was a slight issue that happened though, and that had to do with the few articles of clothing that Haruhi packed.

"Um…is the fit alright with you Haruhi?"

"It's pretty…big senpai."

Umehito scratched the back of his neck feeling a little flustered. Haruhi hadn't expected just how cold beaches in winter would be so the one jacket that she brought with her wasn't quite warm enough for the venture. Because of that, she had to borrow a jacket in order to join the others. Kirimi was just six-years-old so her clothing was too small to fit the other girl, and Kuretake's wardrobe was strictly work uniforms so that was out of the question too. They offered one of Anastasia's extravagant coats but the luxury feel of the garment made Haruhi too nervous to even go near it.

That meant that the only option the girl had left was to borrow one of Umehito's plain black hoodies. The jacket was very oversized on her, but it was warm. She would absolutely never admit it to anyone, but she felt comforted by the smell of lavender that came form it. It calmed her down and almost made her forget about all the bad things that had happened just the day before. Almost. She felt like a pervert for constantly sniffing it though. Hopefully no one would notice.

"Big brother I'm going to play over there okay?"

"Just remember to be around Kuretake at all times, okay Kirimi?"

"Okay!"

Haruhi and Umehito didn't join the young girl and instead sat at a nearby table farther away from the shoreline. The two of them enjoyed the sound of the ocean as they settled into their chairs which were across from each other. The brown haired girl smiled at the sight of the water glistening under what little sun peeked out of the clouds. It reminded her of better times. She sighed to herself.

She was tired. Oh so very tired. Thinking back on the time she spent in the Host club…they weren't all bad memories right? They were her friends. Were. Sure, they were annoying a lot of the times, but they weren't all that bad were they? They did take care of her, in their own weird way. They fed her nice food…as a bribe. They often gave her clothes…that she didn't like. But at least they protected her from dangers too…did they?

It was at that moment that there was a sudden throb of pain that came from her shoulders. She winced for a moment.

…right. Tamaki had bruised her from when he grabbed her yesterday. She remembered the bruise he left on her arm too. And then she remembered how Hikaru had grabbed her collar. She remembered Kyoya had insulted her character with his accusations and how nobody tried to defend her from that. Things probably wouldn't have derailed so far if Huni and Mori had stepped in more in the past. They let things escalate this far. All of them did.

No, there weren't enough happy memories to just erase that. It was painful, but it had to be done.

"Haruhi? Is everything okay?"

She didn't dare look at Umehito. Even though she wanted so desperately to look into his clear blue eyes, she feared that if she did then her tears would come again. She was afraid that his kindness would turn into pity and maybe even disgust. Did he look at her like that too? Like how the Host club had? Did he think that she was that shameless of a person too?

"Something happened, didn't it?"

She couldn't take it anymore. She pulled her knees close to her chest and buried her face into them. Her arms wrapped themselves protectively around her as a means to keep everything away. There was silence for a moment, before she heard what sounded like a chair being moved and a body being seated right beside her.

Then, a strong arm wrapped around he waist and enveloped her into a side hug. The smell of lavender was stronger now, but it wasn't as overwhelming as the scent of roses. It was comforting. It felt safe. The other hand gently broke her scrunched form, and the next thing she knew her face was pressed against someone's chest. No, it wasn't just 'someone'. It was Umehito, and he was hugging her tightly. With one hand, he even began calmly stroking her hair. His steady breathing managed to steady her own. She hadn't even realized that her breathing had gotten so ragged.

"You don't have to say anything if you're not ready for it."

His deep voice sounded so delicate. He was warm. He was caring. And he was there for her.

"I…quit the Host club."

That was all that she could manage to say. Muffled as it was, even she could hear the heavy strain on her voice. It was painful. She couldn't think of anything else.

"Haruhi, did you know? If you look into an owl's ear, you can see the back of its eyeball."

Her mind stopped working for a second. In her shock, a genuine smile broke out on her face as her shoulder shook slightly from her restrained laughter.

"You're so weird senpai. Who just goes ahead and randomly says that to someone?"

Even without looking at him, she could tell he had a smile on his face too.

"I suppose I just did. It seemed like the perfect thing to say, mind you. See? This is the first time you've laughed since you got here. You've looked pretty gloomy for a while now."

She unconsciously dug her face into her chest before realizing what she was doing. She yanked her head back and covered her reddening face with her hands.

"Um, I'm sorry about that. I don't know what got over me."

"No need to apologize." He said with a nonchalant laugh, though his face was quite obviously dusted with a light blush. "Happens to the best of us."

There was another silence between them, and much to Haruhi's embarrassment, Umehito still kept one arm wrapped around her waist. Maybe he hadn't realized it himself yet? Or maybe he really was trying to make her feel better this way? Either way it was calming, and seemed just like him. Oh, he was probably used to doing this for her sister. She sighed again. She didn't know how to feel about being treated like his little sister. It didn't feel quite right.

But he had always been there for her, even though they really hadn't known each other that long. In that short time he'd already proven himself as someone who would go above and beyond for those he cared about. She trusted him as much as he trusted her. It wasn't fair to keep him in the dark like this.

"They…were saying bad things about you and I got mad. So I told them off and ran."

She didn't want to go into all the details, and her respected that by not prying further. They kept their positions, neither one of them really wanted to move away. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Umehito cleared his throat.

"I'm proud of you."

Haruhi froze for a second, not really believing what she had heard. She turned to look at him with a raised brow, but his head was turned away to hide his face. Though, his ears that were peeking from his wig were red indicating his shyness. It brought a smile to her face for some unknown reason.

"What did you say senpai?"

"…I'm proud of you. For standing up to them finally I mean. I'm happy for you too."

That was the first time she'd heard those words in a long time, and the first time she'd heard it come from someone other than her dad. She was glad that it was him. And she allowed the warm feeling in her chest to spread throughout her body.

"…yeah. I'm…happy too."

She sighed again, this time letting go of all the tension that had built up in her body. This was it. This was the moment she had always waited for, the relief of never having anything to do with that stupid club again. There was the matter of the debt to settle, but for once she was positive that the hurdle would come to pass soon enough.

"What do you plan to do with your newfound freedom Haruhi?"

She leaned her head back, still very conscious of the arm around her, and thought about it for a bit.

"I guess without all those distractions, I can finally fully focus on my studies. Eventually I plan on applying for Ouran University and then getting into law school."

Umehito raised his brow, looking pretty impressed at the ambitions of his underclassman.

"Aspiring to be a lawyer are you?" He said with a smile. "That's very commendable. I know that with your intelligence and dedication you'll reach your goal soon."

"What about you senpai?"

She turned to look at him with her large brown eyes, and for once Umehito was evenly meeting her gaze again. It seemed that he had noticed the arm that was still around her so he carefully retracted it, looking very casual as he did so with his red face.

"What about me?"

"You're graduation soon. What do you plan to do for college?"

It was only then that Haruhi realized that she actually didn't know as much about Umehito as she had originally thought. She knew that he was an incredibly smart person, but he had never mentioned exactly what he wanted to pursue after graduation. As the eldest son of the Nekozawa family, he would most like inherit his family's businesses, so maybe he was going to be a business major?

"I plan on going into literature."

Oh, that was unexpected.

"Literature?"

"Surprising, isn't it?"

She didn't even try to hide the shocked look on her face and he just chuckled at her expression.

"But why?"

He thought about it for a moment, and Haruhi couldn't help but think that his thinking face looked pretty handsome too.

"I am set to become the next head of the Nekozawa family in the future. Before that happens, I want to travel around the world, to see different cultures and witness for myself how people live everywhere. To broaden my horizons so to speak. I want to write down my experiences and hopefully pass it down to my sister as well, and maybe even future generations. I want to leave something meaningful behind so that I won't be forgotten."

Haruhi looked at him with surprise on his face. Meanwhile, he was looking at the sea, smiling fondly. She hadn't seen this kind of look on his face before, his dream must have meant a lot to him then. Just like how much her dream meant a lot to her too.

They were both striving for freedom in their lives, with their own abilities, and with their own struggles. She wondered what would have happened if they hadn't met like this. She would have probably continued to be trapped by the Host club, never realizing that her precious freedom was being stripped from her bit by bit.

He saved her. He did it to break free of his own chains too. She remembered when they first started their pact, as a simple means of getting back at those who had wronged them. Now their promise had evolved to become something much more. And how did her feelings fit into all of this? Was she supposed to be happy? Was she supposed to feel relieved?

It was at that moment that she realized that their plan was over. They had gotten their revenge so there was no reason to continue their act anymore. Would they go back to being strangers then? Would there no longer be a reason to meet and talk like this? No…she didn't want that.

"Umehito-senpai…"

Her breath caught in her throat as he turned to look at her. His clear blue eyes that looked at her were beautiful. There was no way she could just forget them. There was no way she could just forget him.

"We're still going to be friends after this right?"

Umehito blinked in surprise. He wasn't expecting the usually strong and independent Haruhi to be so docile and fragile all of a sudden. She seemed afraid of something, but he couldn't really understand what. He wanted nothing more than to envelope her in his arms again, but he was worried that if he did so, he would do something that he would regret. He respected her boundaries. He didn't want to do anything to upset her. He…only wanted her to smile.

So the best thing he could do was ruffle her hair playfully and show her a smile.

"Of course we are." He said while his chest clenched. "There's no doubt in my mind about that."

But he didn't want to stay at just that.

They continued their conversation until sunset. They stayed close to each other, and shared many smiles and laughs between them. The pleasant atmosphere around them continued until their parents returned from their shopping trip. Haruhi went with her father to prepare for dinner and to unpack some of their luggage.

Umehito remained by the beach for a little while longer and watched Kirimi run to greet their parents before also disappearing inside. Kuretake approached the man with a concerned look on her face. In truth, she was watching the whole interaction between the two teenagers rather intensely.

She approached her young master slowly, carefully observing the wistful look on his face as his eyes trailed over to where Haruhi had disappeared.

"Young master, are you planning on —"

"No." He said firmly. "I will not cage her. She deserves to live her life however she wants to."

Kuretake frowned and placed her hands on her hips.

"Master Umehito, if you like her that much then you should go after her! What if she gets snatched away by another man?"

"No…" He turned to look at her with a sad smile. "The life of a Nekozawa bride isn't easy because of the dangers it entails. My mother is a strong woman, so she had no problem adjusting…but Haruhi…"

His face contorted into a pained smile as he clenched his fists. No, he wouldn't let her end the same way as his grandmother.

"It's because I love her…that I have to let her go…"