OHSHC - Between the Lines

[animeloulou]

(Exactly )


~Haruhi~


Haruhi had been looking away from Tamaki but the little wobble in his voice shocked her back to reality. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the tears in his eyes. Soon enough, her eyes began to fill up with tears.


"Why should I talk to you!? You're not my boyfriend anymore! You're just someone that I knew from the Host Club, nothing more! So please stop trying to complicate things! You're engaged, for God's sake!"


Her feelings of sadness and anger were all being spat out and she couldn't stop it.


~Mori~


Mori glanced down at Asuka as she tugged on his shirt, letting him know that they were going. The station had filled up really quickly in the time that they had been waiting.


He let her walk in front, watching as she fed her ticket through a machine that lifted up a miniature barrier. He waited until she was through before repeating the same steps, walking past the barrier.


"That wasn't hard at all..."


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

Tamaki reeled back with her anger, fingers curling into the fabric of the couch. He clenched it tight, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him. His breath quickened with the intense sadness that rose up within him. He'd traded this... He'd traded her... For France. For a place. For his mother - but she only wanted him to be happy. He'd made the wrong decision; but hadn't he known that all along? The moment when he kissed her goodbye at the airport?


He rose, a tall slender figure in comparison to her small one.


"'Someone I knew from the Host Club?'" he echoed, disappointment coming through his words. "Just someone...?"


He couldn't even look at her.


Did he really mean so little to Haruhi?


He was silent for a few moments, before fixing his gaze on her again, bright blue unwavering.


"I don't care. I don't care." His hands curled into fists at his sides. "It's always been you." He was the proud lion, a roar building up within him. It wasn't a roar of dominance nor fury. It was a roar of passion, that had always lurked within him. It was surfacing now, as it had a few times before. Only with Haruhi. Only for her. For a moment, he held her gaze with steely determination.


But he was not a lion with claws.


His eyes softened with sadness again - regret.


"I made a mistake."


~Asuka~


Asuka laughed despite herself, a little of the nervous tension dissipating. She raised a bandaged hand to her mouth in sudden realisation that, perhaps, she should not laugh - would he take offence? Looking at him slightly guiltily, she started walking beside him again. The train was only just pulling into the station. She walked toward it, easily stepping on once the people coming out had left.


Glancing behind herself to see that he was still following, she found them two chairs with a table inbetween them. Asuka slid into a chair, then gestured for him to join her with a shy smile.


@animeloulou

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Tamaki's outburst shocked Haruhi immensely. He was known to have wacky outbursts, but not like this. This seemed to be bubbling up from deep inside, and it wasn't helping Haruhi on-


Wait, what?


He made a mistake.


Haruhi stared at him, stunned. She remembered the day when he left for France, sobbing uncontrollably in her bed, making up for all the days she said that she was fine with his decision, hiding her true feelings from him and everyone else.


"You're engaged..."


The sentence came out in a broken voice as the tears began to fall. Why the hell was he telling her this now? It wasn't as if he could do anything about it...


~Mori~


Mori followed Asuka through the station, glancing around in awe at the sheer amount of trains and people getting on and off them.


He stayed right behind Asuka as they entered one of the trains, eventually finding a free set of seats with a table in between.


As they waited for the train to disembark from the station, he gazed out of the window, people-watching.


"They all have stories to tell... It's amazing, really..."


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

~Tamaki~


Tamaki could only but stare at her, gaze never leaving her. His own tears had started to fall, glistening rivers down his cheeks. And another. And another.


"I don't care," he whispered again, voice hoarse and cracking as he stepped closer to her. "I won't... Haruhi, I can't. Not without you."


He didn't say the words, but they echoed around the room nonetheless.


I can't live without you.





~Asuka~


The expression on his face was still the same as always, but his tone and words showed a small sign of wonder at the business around them. It was amazing, she supposed. But she took it for granted. Perhaps in the same way that he took the normalities of his life for granted (she assumed; he'd grown up rich, in any case).


"There's a lot of us. Normal people. We all have our own lives," she murmured, staring out of the window as well. For a moment, she was lost in thought. Then she turned back to him, green eyes curious.


"Mr Morinozuka - you said your given name was Takashi? Would you mind if I...?"

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Haruhi was crying now, her whole body shaking from a mixture of the increasing sobs and fear with each of Tamaki's approaching steps.


She shook her head repeatedly, repeating the words "You're engaged" over and over. She knew that it was wrong on so many levels, but her heart wouldn't listen...


~Mori~


Mori turned to look at Asuka, his expression the same as always. She seemed to want to call him by his first name. Normally, he wouldn't really think about those kind of things for a person he had only recently met, but this was Asuka.


"You can call me Takashi or just Mori if you want. Can I call you Asuka?"


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

She was sobbing her heart out, and it only made it worse for Takami. He had hurt her, so very badly. He'd promised himself that he'd never hurt a girl. But here she was, of all girls, broken because of him.


She waw crying out that he was engaged. It was true. But he didn't truly love Marie. Not like her.


Takami enveloped her in slender arms, pulling her shaking form close to his own trembling chest. He just held her like that, a large lump weighing down his heart.


And to her chorus, he could only add, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," over and over again.


~Asuka~


Asuka was slightly relieved when he confirmed that she could call him that. Mori... It was a nice name. Gentle. He didn't look gentle, quite the opposite - stoic and powerful. But someone somewhere had given him that sweet nickname.


"Of course," she smiled at him timidly, leaning her elbows on the table and putting her chin in her hands.


"Mr- Mori." The name seemed foreign in her mouth, almost wrong, but it flowed so easily. Mori. "I'm a waitress in a restaurant. Why did you...?"


@animeloulou

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Her eyes widened slightly as she was pulled into Tamaki's chest, his body trembling now also.


His words of apology were doused in regret, making her sob even more. His embrace was so familiar, as if they fitted together perfectly.


But he was engaged. However much she wanted it to happen, it wouldn't. She just wanted to stay in his arms forever...


~Mori~


Mori smiled a little as she called him by his nickname, even chuckling slightly as she stumbled in her words.


Her question caught him slightly off guard. Why did he feel a connection with her? They hardly knew each other...


"When I met you, I felt something very special. I want to know you better."


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

"Haruhi..."


His words were whispers upon his lips. Tamaki told himself - this wasn't cheating. Not really. He was only consoling an old friend.


But how could he even say that she was only a friend? Haruhi was so much more than that to him. The front of his shirt was starting to get a little wet, but he didn't care. All he cared about was the bundle of shivering nerves pressed against his chest.


The feeling was so right. So different from Marie, with her curvaceous figure and pouted lips. Any other man may have fallen for her instantly. But his heart had always belonged to another.


Tamaki wanted so badly to kiss her. But if he did, he would only be including her in cheating. If Haruhi ever wanted him back - and he suspected she did - it would not be when he was tied to another woman. She wouldn't want that. He knew her that well.


Removing an arm from around her, he gently lifted her chin with the tip of his finger and smiled down sadly at her. He wiped the tears off her cheeks with tender movements.


"I'll fix this," he whispered.


~Asuka~


Asuka blushed a little when he laughed; it was the first time she'd heard that. It was deep and quite attractive. His comment brought even more heat to her cheeks, and she had to glanced out the window to obscure her face with her hair.


He'd felt something special...? If she was honest with herself, she had too. But she was too timid to say such a thing outright.


"I'm glad we met, Mr- Mori." Damn. She'd made the same mistake again. Force of habit. "If we hadn't, I might have bled quite a bit more," she said with a soft laugh, holding up her injured hand.


@animeloulou

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Haruhi stared into Tamaki's deep gaze and felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.


She knew what he was referring to - cutting off the engagement - but even then, Haruhi knew things that Tamaki didn't, things that would cause him and her pain. She couldn't put him through that...


She pulled away, shaking her head.


"Don't break off the engagement..."


~Mori~


Asuka's laugh was light and bright, causing him to smile a little bit wider. Her hand seemed to be causing her less pain than the previous night, so he presumed that she had rested it like he had advised her to do.


"I am glad that we met too. Don't forget to take care of yourself. We don't want any more accidents, do we?"


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

Tamaki's jaw tightened in determination. She was telling him not to call it off?


He gently brushed her hair with his slender fingers, lips pressed together in a an effort to not fall apart.


"But how could I marry her... Tell her that I love her... When I love you?" he whispered desperately.


~Asuka~


Asuka ducked her head, vaguely pleased by his words. Was he a little worried about her well being? And now he was smiling a little more, and she could see that he was opening up to her. Just a bit, but that was all she wanted.


"Sure." She looked at him evenly. "Did you bring extra clothes to sleep over? There's not another train until the next day. It's a very sleepy little town..."


@animeloulou

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Haruhi's gaze darted around as she heard the words "I love you" come from his lips. This wasn't happening...


"You don't understand! You'll only get hurt in the end! I'm saving you! You have a perfectly good engagement! Don't waste it!"


~Mori~


Mori nodded slightly in understanding as he gestured up to the luggage in the overhead compartment.


"I'll always come prepared. That's what I've been taught in life. Plus, I assumed that the trains wouldn't come often."


(Sorry for short post In college )


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

((lol no worries I have data woes until tomorrow, so I'm using my phone... haha.))


Tamaki's fingers tightened in the fabric of her shirt as she spoke; her words were forceful. Urging him to move on, to marry Marie.


The whole idea of it was starting to make him feel like he was back at Ouran Academy, trying to escape from that arranged engagement all that time ago. His mind was slowly turning the idea of breaking up with Marie, over and over.


And something clicked. She was insisting for a reason.


"Tell me, Haruhi." He broke the momentary silence, holding her at arms length. His grip was tense on each of her arms, but it was not intentional. "Tell me what you're hiding."


~Asuka~


Asuka's dark eyebrows rose slightly. She was impressed, truth be told. She'd assumed that someone like him would expect the work (such as preparation) to be done for him.


"Very clever," she commented, with a grin. She fiddled with the overnight bag she'd placed next to her feet, next thing popping up with a few snacks and two bottles of water. Asuka hadn't known what he would eat, so she'd gone for the safe options.


((You can skip the train to the little town if you want ))

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Haruhi couldn't look Tamaki in the eyes. Should she tell him? If she did, she would essentially be tying him to her...


But then she looked into his eyes, and her defences fell.


"I'm slowly going blind."


It was a quiet voice, broken even.


~Mori~


After what seemed like an age, the train slowly shuddered to a halt. He could smell the scent of the sea as soon as he stepped off the train onto the platform.


"So, what next?"


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

Tamaki's world stopped.


His heart stopped.


His mind stopped.


And all he could do was stare down at her, his beautiful Haruhi, with her shining soft brown eyes. Like a little doe, looking up at him with such sadness.


And he didn't say a word, just drawing her close to his chest as tight as he could. His face nestled into the top of her head as he drew in her scent, silent tears running down his face.


He felt his world crashing down around him, and his legs started to feel weak. But he forced himself to stand strong, for if he collapsed, Haruhi would only follow.


~Asuka~


That had been a pleasant, if slightly awkward journey. Asuka gathered her things together, walking after his tall figure. He was strangely elegant; not at all gangly, as one might expect someone so tall to be. But she was sure that there was hidden muscle below those expensive clothes.


As she stepped off the platform, she tripped over her own foot, having not landed properly. The pavement rushed up toward her; and she prepaewd herself for the taste of ashphalt....

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Haruhi broke down. She began to sob uncontrollably, gripping Tamaki as hard as she could. She hadn't even told her father yet... She had been holding it in for so long that she was fit to burst.


"I-I'm so scared..."


She was letting it all out now, knowing that Tamaki would listen.


"I'm slowly going to completely lose my sight..."


~Mori~


Mori always had a good sense of hearing, ever since he was young. It tended to help him when he was participating in kendo.


So when she tripped, he heard her slight gasp escape from her lips. Spinning around on his heels, he caught her just before she could hit the ground, chuckling lightly as he did so.


"What did i tell you about endangering yourself?"


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

~Tamaki~


Tamaki held her up from collapsing, fingers twisted tight in her shirt. They were one quivering mess of emotion and heartbreak, a mixture of light and dark, of man and woman.


He could only choke out his words.


"Why-why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell us?" His voice broke, trembled. It was not the voice of a proud lion, nor the voice of a prince. This was the voice of a man torn to pieces. It was worse than when he'd left for France. Worse than when he'd broken up with her, alone in his apartment with a bottle of whisky.


He began to grow panicky. He could fix this. The Host Club could do anything. They might have disbanded a long time ago, but they were still family.


"I- I'll call Kyoya! He has the best doctors in the world! They can fix it, they can make it all better," he sobbed.


~Asuka~


Asuka gasped as she was stopped in midair by a strong force, holding her tight and steady.


Mori?





She was instantly aware of the hands on her body, that had been so quick to prevent her from smashing her face into the ground. She was breathing a little heavy from fright, but then laughed as she righted herself, putting her own hand on one of the arms outstretched toward her.


"Maybe I don't listen very well," she replied back, with the smallest cheeky smile. "But, thank you."


@animeloulou

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Haruhi merely shook her head, her heart breaking for Tamaki. This was why she didn't want to tell them.


"I didn't tell you guys because I didn't want to be a burden to you. It's too late. They can't do anything for me..."


~Mori~


Mori chuckled lightly as Asuka righted herself, standing up with a smile.


"As long as you're okay, I'll let it pass this time."


He glanced around in awe at the amazing view of the town from the station.


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

~Tamaki~


Tamaki shook his head firmly, looking down into her eyes once again.


"You will never, ever, be a burden to me," he insisted. "Don't you ever think that. You will never be a burden to anyone from the Host Club. We are family. I'm Daddy, and Kyoya is Mommy, and we will always be there for you, no matter how far away we are."


How could he have allowed it to get to this? Why hadn't he checked on her? He knew how she kept things from people, how she had to forge her own way. Guilt was sitting deep within his heart for not being there. Not properly.


~Asuka~


Asuka giggled, a hand rising to her mouth politely. She came to stand beside him, also taking in the town for a moment. Her uncle had been glad to hear she was coming to visit; it had been a while.


"I am a little clumsy," she admitted after a moment, glancing at him sideways.


A call from the left caused her to turn her head. There he was - medium height and slim, her Uncle Yuki was walking toward them. Asuka glanced back to Mori to tell him that it was him, before going forward to greet him. He hugged her and kissed the top of her head, before turning his attention to the tall handsome young man accompanying his neice. He eyed him for a moment; the boy looked a little stoic, if truth be told. But after a moment, he laughed, giving him a clap on the shoulder.


"So, you're the new boyfriend?"


"Uncle!"

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Haruhi was grateful to Tamaki for being so kind. After all, the Host Club were a dysfunctional but loving family.


"Thank you... But don't feel like you need to stay with me because of this."


~Mori~


Mori turned to see a man strolling toward them with a grin on his face. As niece and uncle reunited, Mori couldn't help but smile. That smile turned into a slight blush as her brought up the idea of dating.


"It's nice to meet you sir, but we're just friends."


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

~Tamaki~


Tamaki shook his head, with a short, wry laugh. It wasn't happy. Just a little incredulous at their situation.


"But don't you see, Haruhi? I would have stayed with you if nothing had been wrong. This won't change my mind."


~Asuka~


Asuka was blushing as well when her uncle had suggested dating. Thankfully, Mori quickly deflected the idea. They were... friends? Just friends? Did that mean he wanted more? Honestly, she was just a little flattered that he considered her a friend at all.


Her uncle snorted, turning around and leading the way out of the station. Asuka glanced sideways at Mori with a shrug and an embarrassed smile, before taking after him.


@animeloulou

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Haruhi gazed into Tamaki's tear-filled eyes and believed him. He really wanted to be with her, didn't he? She spoke quietly, trying desperately to ignore the overwhelming sense of guilt rising within her.


"I... I love you too..."


~Mori~


Mori followed them out of the station in the direction of Asuka's uncle's car. It was nothing like the limousines that he was used to, but he didn't mind. Honestly, he liked to rough it every once in a while.


They all clambered in, Mori taking one last glance out of the car window at the station as they drove away.


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

~Tamaki~


Tamaki's expression faded, his mouth forming a small, 'o,' as she uttered those words. He had said them earlier, without a reply. But now here she was. Haruhi didn't throw those words around. Ever.


Then he laughed softly, tears still in his eyes, holding her behind the waist with one strong arm and pressing her to him. With the other hand, he gently brushed back her hair behind her ears - long now, like a girl, as he'd always wished...


"I know."


~Asuka~


Every now and then, Asuka glanced sideways at Mori to see how he was doing. She wouldn't like to take her eyes off him and find that he was having a heart attack out of shock or something (due to commoners' ways). On the train ride, they'd exchanged numbers so that they could contact one another if needed.


Her uncle whistled as he drove, quite happy to be seeing his niece again. He was her father's brother; he'd felt the need to fill that role in some respect once he died. A terrible accident... He always looked out for pedestrians. Asuka used to be strange about that. "Uncle Yuki, slow down! That could be my father!" she would cry if there was a man in the road.


They eventually came to the little house by the sea, drawing into a gravel road and then a small driveway. Asuka and Yuki slid out, and she breathed in the fresh scent of ocean air. The sea in the distance was gentle, waves running like white horses onto the sand.

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Haruhi wasn't sure if it was because of her jumbled emotions or because of the adrenaline rush she currently had, but it happened regardless.


She stood up on her tippy-toes and kissed him on the lips.


It was as if it was old times again, except, Haruhi was saying goodbye.


He was engaged. It was wrong. Haruhi knew that. She couldn't lump herself on him, whatever he or the other members of the Host Club would say. She had decided it before the reunion - if the results of the test were bad, she would deal with it alone.


~Mori~


Mori was in awe of the scenery around them. It was as if they had all just stepped into one of the many paintings that had graced the walls of the Morinozuka family mansion. The house and the sea existed in harmony together, without any disturbance. He took a deep breath of the ocean-scented air with a smile.


"This is quite beautiful..."


@Chicogal

 

[Chicogal]

For once, Tamaki was surprised by the girl. His blue eyes flew wide as she kissed him; it was so unlike her. He was engaged, and she knew that.


But it felt so right. He melted into her, his one finger lifting up her chin. He lingered there, before breaking free with a blissful smile. The blond leaned his forehead against hers, whispering against her lips.


"Haruhi."


~Asuka~


Asuka smiled sideways at Mori. He seemed to be impressed by her uncle's place. Yuki started walking down the path, having taken Asuka's bag for her.


"Shall we go down to the beach today?" she asked Mori as they started down the path. It was perfect weather, and she'd packed her swimming costume.


@animeloulou

 

[animeloulou]

~Haruhi~


Haruhi, honestly, wanted to burst into tears again. She knew that it, these feelings, were wrong, but she didn't know what to do...


"Let's g-"


Tamaki's phone rang.


The guilt came rushing back in full force. Haruhi stepped away, her voice quiet.


"You should answer it. Don't break it off, please..."


~Mori~


Mori nodded slightly as he strolled beside Asuka, the light breeze perfectly contrasting the warm weather. He had brought his swimming trunks with him too, in case of a situation like this.


As they approached and entered the house, Mori was pleasantly surprised at the spacious interior, full of neutral colours.


As he glanced around, his gaze landed on a framed picture of what seemed to be a young Asuka and a man he didn't recognise. However, he hoped at least that he was a gentleman, so he didn't pry.


@Chicogal