Fear of the Pumpkin Carriage

Chapter 8

Two Different Confrontations...

The school day just seemed to drag on and on, and it had only just started. Maybe it was the fact that so much has changed. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't know what she was about to face with seeing Hikaru for the first time after everything happened. It could be a lot of things, honestly. But none of them were positive ones, that was a fact. She set her things down at her desk, taking her usual spot. There was a bit of chatter going on through the room, perhaps some girls telling others about what happened yesterday at the Host Club. Or just regular gossip, or trying to catch up with a friend. Who knew at this point. However, one girl actually stopped by her desk a moment, a small frown seen on her features. The brunette recognized her from the Club.

"Haruhi? I... I just wanted to be sure you were alright," she explains, fidgeting a bit nervously. She was either a bit shy about being around the Host, or a bit anxious about getting caught by a Host in particular. So far, the twins were no where in sight, just yet. The Natural gives a small, reassuring smile. Fake it, until you feel it, Haruhi, she reminded herself. Try to keep up some sort of appearance for the girls. You have to, for the sake of the Club and for the sake of the rest.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it was no big deal. I guess I shouldn't have made myself a new target in a way," she explains to the other student, hoping it made sense. Yes, she was trying to do the right thing and tried to get the fighting to stop. However, she probably shouldn't have just walked up when it was beginning to look bad. That had been an error on her part. But she was willing to accept that. Hearing the words, the girl seemed a bit calmer, and even gave the smallest of smiles. She didn't appear ready to be truly happy, just yet. Seemed like all the rest at this point...

"If you're sure... That just seemed like such a bad hit from where I was, I was really worried. I'm glad you're ok," the client went on, before foot steps were heard. The female host looks in time to see the Hitachiin brothers now walking into the room. Quickly, the earlier concerned girl moved to be with her little ring of friends, as the boys made their way over. Neither of them spoke a word though, to anyone or to each other. Hikaru didn't even dare to look toward Haruhi at this point. The scholar student inwardly sighed, as they twins took their normal seats, an uncomfortable silence seeming to swirl and strangle them. No one seemed to want to break it, and yet, they also did. But how so? It seemed like an eternity before finally the female host spoke up.

"...Hey, Hikaru? Are you alright?" she suddenly asked the elder twin, looking towards him. He seemed reluctant to answer her, let alone cast a glance in her direction. It was so unlike how they normally would, and it made her feel even more uncomfortable than she already did. He didn't speak a word, just gave a small shrug, as if that one gesture held all of the answers she needed. What now? There was yet another stretch of silence between them. Kaoru didn't appear too fond of the idea of breaking this either, or try to help out in getting his brother to talk. She'd have to try again.

"Hikaru. I'm not mad at you, I hope you know that. I understand you were upset, and you didn't mean what you did. You're under just as much stress as we are," Haruhi went on, hoping that would get at least some sort of reaction, other than a shrug. He would surely speak after that! … Still not a sound. He always seemed so difficult when it came to these things... She may be well aware of it, but that didn't mean she was always the best at handling it. She wasn't exactly a coddling, comforting type, unless she really had to be. And she was pretty sure that wasn't what he wanted, anyway. The brunette gives a sigh, before glancing towards the younger of the two twins. She didn't want to start talking to him about his brother, considering the other was sitting there with them. But she wanted to know if there was something, anything she could say or do that could fix something here. If he continued to be silent to her, how would she know what to say or do? She wasn't exactly a mind reader. And her tendency of being a little oblivious definitely didn't help in this case. What to say, what to say...

"Alright. I'll give you your space, if that's what you really want, at this point. Just know... I'm here for you. That hasn't changed, and it never will, Hikaru. I know this is tough, but you can't just get through it on your own. It's a team effort, and it works better if we all stick together to figure it out," the new Vice went on, hoping she would strike some sort of cord with him. Maybe him knowing that she was here for him still, no matter what, would be what he needed to hear? She could hope so, at least...

Finally, a new reaction was seen from Hikaru. He turned to her, as if acknowledging her presence for the first time since she's been sitting there beside him. With the expression he wore on his face, you could almost believe maybe he had just realized she was right there speaking with him. He didn't smile though, didn't even come close to it.

"...Haruhi, I need to figure this out on my own. I have Kaoru, and I know, at this point, I can trust him. I know for a fact he won't leave me. And right now, I need that. Just leave me alone," the elder brother finally tells her firmly, seeming to surprise her.

"I understand where you're coming from, Hikaru. But the rest of the Club, we're not going to-" she tried to protest, but he suddenly interrupted her, not allowing her to even finish her thought.

"But I don't know that for sure!" he snaps in response to her. He gives her a look, a familiar kind of anger flickering in his amber eyes. It reminded her of the fire that she seemed to see in them yesterday, when he lost control of his emotions. It was like a subdued, flickering flame now. Not exactly alive, but not completely dead. He was upset, but at the same time, it was almost like he didn't want to be. "At this point, I can't trust your word, Haruhi. They're empty to me right now, and you don't seem to understand that! Tamaki said similar things, and now he's gone!"

At this point, all Haruhi could do was sigh. He was right. He had every reason not to believe her, but he also had many reasons to believe her. And yet, it was still a losing battle. Given the circumstances, yes, the young girl could understand exactly his point. But she would have thought he trusted her more than what he was showing. Or is he not ready to put that trust back into me again, after Tamaki left? She thought to herself. It could be part of his own healing process. Keep close to the one who he knows will never betray him... Until he's ready to open himself back to others again. He needs time.

"Hikaru, please calm down. Haruhi doesn't mean harm... And besides, we're about to start class," Kaoru suddenly interjects, seeming to want to break up this interaction before it turned sour, past the point of no return once more. After yesterday, there was no way he would want to see his sibling go through something like that again. An amber gaze stayed locked with those of brown for a moment longer, before the older twin gave a small nod in agreement, finally seeming to calm down again.

"...Right. Sorry, Haruhi," he apologizes quietly after a moment, before looking ahead again, seeming to ignore her and the rest of the world again. He was in his own place, it seemed. The female host shook her head slowly, accepting his apology all the same. She knew he tended to be terrible at apologies... Bu there was just something about this one...

Club activities were yet to be prepared yet, but Renge had her own job currently. She had received a strange text message from a number, which she recognized to be a French number. However, it hadn't been a relative or friend of hers... However, the words in the message was all she needed to know exactly who it was before she could even ask. 'Please tell me the Club is doing ok.' It was obvious now that the message was from Tamaki. She remembered having given him her number before, but that hadn't been for a while... How was he even able to text her right now? She quickly typed up her response to him, a small frown playing across her lips. She knew she had to tell him the truth... It was his club, after all.

'The Club isn't doing too well. There's a lot of ups and downs, mainly downs, and it was just CHAOS yesterday!' Send. A million questions rang through the manager's mind. What was the blond doing now? How was he handling things? Did he get to see his mother? Has he married Eclair yet? How much time did he have to text her? Was he using a cover at this point? Minutes ticked by, and she about had a heart attack when her phone finally buzzed, the screen showing another message has been received. She checks her phone, scanning over his next message to her.

'Chaos? What exactly happened?' Of course he would want to know that. She had to be careful... She couldn't just send him string after string of messages. If he was using a cover, it'd seem a little strange if he got too many messages at once. She thought it over quickly, before finally deciding on what to put. The Otaku's fingers ran over the keys swiftly, as if she was entering an Olympic sport, if there was such a thing for texting.

'The twins had a fight, and Haruhi went to stop it. Hikaru punched him!' And another message sent. As she read her message, she knew she left out a lot, but she couldn't fit everything into one message... She'd have to give him every detail slowly. As she did read it over again, hr mind went back to yesterday, making her sigh and cover her face a moment. Yes, this was just like every kind of story she would have been dreaming to be a part of... But in the reality of it, it really hurt. Seeing the boys all struggle like this, try to keep together, while not breaking down themselves... Haruhi was so strong, doing everything he's been doing... But it was already starting to show even he was starting to crumble some. Even someone as strong as him had their limit... And he was already beginning to approach his, and that was the scary part.

Another message came in, and immediately Renge took a look at it, not remembering the last time she's had such an important and almost intense conversation with someone. At least in the actual serious sense, not like talking about major plot twists or cliff hangers from her animes and mangas. This was serious!

'What?! He hit Haruhi?! What drove him to do that?!' Great... Another quick story time. How to put the story in a small frame... So much happened, and she was amazed that the "lonely prince" was even able to reply at this speed. Maybe he was alone then? Or as alone as he could be? She could only hope so... The French girl then thought of what she could reply with, typing it out as it all rushed back to her.

'Hikaru was arguing about you. He's still upset with you. Haruhi went to stop the fight! And instead of Kaoru getting hit, Haruhi did, before Hikaru could stop.' That one had really been testing the character limit, but she managed to send it in one text with a single character to spare. Phew. Maybe not the most informative explanation, but it got to the point. Before she could even get her reply, suddenly the Host Club doors opened, making her jump abut fifty feet in the air. And in walked Haruhi.

"O-Oh! Haruhi! I didn't know you'd be here early," the manager greets quickly, a hint of nervousness in her voice. She couldn't let him know that she was speaking with Tamaki! Not just yet... She had to figure some thing out with him first. Maybe... Just maybe... She could get him to come home, before it was too late! The brunette blinked a bit, before giving a small shrug.

"I didn't expect you to be here this early either. Guess we're both full of surprises, aren't we?" came the rookie's response. "...What are you doing anyway?"

"A-Ah, nothing! J-Just... Wanted to see if I could help~! You know, maybe pick out some cosplays that would work great with you boys!" she lied, hoping it wasn't too obvious that she was lying. Then, her phone went off, making her tense up.

"...Who are you talking with?"

"NO ONE! I-I-I mean, the company that has the cosplays! Right, right, I was just seeing if they had the cosplays in stock in your guys' sizes before I suggested it, ok, later, bye, be back in a minute!" Renge rambled off before the Otaku ran out of the room, flying past the Host. Now to get to a place so she could read the text message without the group knowing... She hated lying to them, but they just weren't ready yet.