Disclaimer: I don't own this series nor am I making a profit from this story.

The Bento Box

By Lady Arianrhod

It was the bento box she brought to school that eventually brought forth the question. Haruhi dragged the homemade lunch with her every day despite everyone's offer to buy her lunch. But Haruhi would just shake her head stubbornly and just say she preferred to do things the way she always had.

Hunny, Takashi and Haruhi had lunch together most every day when there were no extra activities to plan or go to. It was on this particular day that Takashi again noticed Haruhi's simple bento. He looked from it to his and Hunny's five star al fresco picnic laid out in front of them.

"Would you like to try some, Haru-chan?" Hunny asked the younger girl sweetly.

Haruhi smiled at him and replied the same way she had a hundred times before. "No, thank you. I brought my lunch today."

Curious, Takashi pointed to her bento. "Why?"

"Why do I bring it?" Haruhi asked in surprise.

Takashi nodded.

"Hmm…" Haruhi thought it over. "It's something that I've always done." She shrugged. "To me a routine is a very comfortable thing. It requires no extra thought or action that hasn't already been planned."

Takashi could understand this. He smiled and touched her hand where it lay near his own. He could see where she was coming from. Old, repetitive routines were comforting and he enjoyed those as well, but…

Takashi said what he felt. "Spur of the moment actions or unplanned times can be exciting."

"Yeah, Haru-chan!" Hunny beamed. "Sometimes the best times are the ones you didn't count on."

Haruhi turned pink then murmured. "Or the best people are found through unexpected means."

Haruhi threaded her fingers through Takashi's. The two sat for a few moments in silence watching Hunny finish off a slice of strawberry cake. He laid down and napped for a bit under the cloudy blue sky.

"I'm glad I found you." Haruhi said at last. "You're the best thing I could have found here at Ouran."

"I've never been so glad to see someone break an expensive vase." Takashi said with the smile that he only gave Haruhi.

"It seems that life is rather like our lunches." Haruhi commented.

Takashi snorted and Haruhi poked his arm. "I'm serious!"

"Look at my bento." She instructed. "Then look at yours."

He did so wondering what was so interesting about her lunch. It looked to be plain white rice, rolled egg and some vegetables. Nothing too exciting. Then he looked at his own meal. Expensive ingredients beautifully prepared by world class chefs and tastefully displayed for artistic and stomach consumption.

She held up the plain box to emphasize her point. "My bento represents the life of someone who is always doing what is familiar to them. Everything is the same or nearly the same every day. Life is a well worn groove that continues on no matter what."

She put down her lunch and pointed at the remains of his. "Now yours represents taking chances and trying new things. Your lunch changes every day with the exception of a few items. It's always different and exciting. And in order to try it, you must take the initiative of wanting something else. That is how our lives are like our lunches."

Takashi sat back and watched the clouds and pondered her explanation. He came to the conclusion that she was right. They both enjoyed routine but she more so than him. He was willing to always try something new in order to keep from becoming boring. She had been in danger of becoming a permanent bore before the Club rescued her and gave her the incentive to adapt to an ever-changing environment.

He finally nodded to Haruhi, signaling that she was correct.

In response, she smiled. "In order to keep from becoming too complacent, would you mind if I tried some of that stuff over there?" Pointing to a dish unrecognizable to a commoner's sight.

In response he handed her the container and tried a bit of her rolled egg. They continued swapping lunch items back and forth till they were both full. Haruhi packed away the rest of her lunch and the two lay back on the blanket and watched the clouds pass by.

She must have fallen asleep at that point because that's the last thing she remembers. Watching the clouds above her with her head resting on Takashi's shoulder…

"Haru, Takashi!" Haruhi woke to Hunny's cheerful wake up call. "The bell just rang. It's time to go back to class. Hurry up!"

Hunny ran ahead of them as the slightly sleepy pair made their way back to the main campus where their afternoon classes awaited. The two parted reluctantly before going their separate ways.

By accident or deliberately, the lunchbox in Haruhi's cradled arms was not her own. The gleam of the polished cherry wood could be seen as she walked away. The plain ceramic bento was clasped gently in Takashi's hand as he returned to class. It would be placed in his room, much to his parents' puzzlement after he returned home to remind him of its owner. "What exactly is that thing?" His mother wanted to know.

And life would continue on.