Angel of Music

"Haru-chan!" A small voice managed to be quite loud in the busy summer morning. Haruhi was occupied at the farmer's market buying groceries for dinner when the voice carried itself to her ears. She spun, surprised to see a blonde head bob up and down as he bounded after her. Her necklace swung; a long chain with a small pewter heart pendant and flew to hit her shoulder. The tall shadow of Mori-sempai loomed behind, his face blank but gave a gentle wave. Behind him still was a shorter man, Kyoya, and the red headed twins Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Honey-sempai?" They had been out of school for years, Haruhi herself had just graduated and was starting law school in the fall."What are you doing here?" He had not grown much taller in their years apart. Still looking as child-like as ever Honey wrapped his arms around Haruhi's waist. Hands fell into the soft down of blonde and her face crept into a small smile. The eldest of their former club was dressed in his most casual suit, which, to Haruhi, looked quite nice.

"We came to find you for one last meeting! Now that we're all done school we can have a great adventure!" It had seemed the group had planned in secret around Haruhi to surprise her.

"Ah, morning Haruhi." Said the twins in unison, their arms around each other's backs.

"Haruhi, how are you?" Kyoya asked over his wire rim glasses. Dressed in a pleasant grey suit the once-shadow king analyzed her. Haruhi had kept her hair short for the remainder of her school career and now that she was out she had the thought to grow her hair, so it fell dead around her face, in the awkward stages between short and long. For the most part her hair was able to be kept up in a ponytail and wisps of brown hair floated around her face, framing the almond eyes. She wore a dress, probably the first time since last summer. It was a pale lavender with a bit of tiny frill around the square cut top and the hem on the bottom. It was simple, but quite comfortable and cool in the hot sun.

"I'm okay, Kyoya-sempai." It was a bold face lie, Haruhi was not feeling well at all. The smells of the farmer's market seemed particularly foul this morning, the hot wind stirring up the scents like a witch's brew till it blended into a uniform smell of hay, soil and butter. Her stomach flipped, but her smile remained strong. "How are you guys doing?"


They were well, they confirmed, and they expressed interest in her groceries. What was she planning on making for dinner, they asked, and feeling in the mood to "slum it" the twins took the bags from surprised hostess. Framing her in red and groceries Haruhi held her hands in front of her as she walked. Her dress swayed in the breeze and danced around her knee as they strolled the market. As they neared the end of the long street the gang discussed their plans for one final adventure: they could go to the beach again, or to the bed and breakfast where Haruhi worked during the summers. Or, they suggested, they could auction off all of the Host Club costumes and do a benefit for charity.

"That reminds me Haru-chan," said the blonde. "Why aren't you at the bed and breakfast again? Law school is quite expensive. Did you save lots?" His voice was sweet in his childish concern.

"I am going next week. I wish you had given me more notice. I can't go to this meeting." Another lie.

"Have you heard from Tamaki, Haruhi?" Panic flew through her eyes and she was grateful for a small reprieve in the market air to settle her nerves for a moment. She feigned distraction in a jar of honey spread to gather her thoughts before she spoke.

"He calls me all the time but but I'm always too busy to talk." At least it wasn't a lie. It was true that Tamaki had tried to call her. Haruhi had always stared at the name and picture display when he rang, but ultimately turned the phone to ignore.

At the memory Haruhi turned from the group and continued to browse.

"What's this, Haruhi?" spoke Hikaru. She pulled her face into a pleasant smile and faced her friend who was holding a cloud of pink cotton candy.

"What? You don't know what that is?" Haruhi remarked in surprise. Surely he must have seen cotton candy before. The vendor's sugar machine spun and he stuck a white cone around the fluff. Blue and pink swirled around into a puffy bunch. She approached the vendor as she reached through her small handbag for her wallet to buy a cone. Honey-sempai would enjoy the snack, at least.

"It's called 'cotton candy.'" She tore a piece after placing her coins on the vendor's table. She stuck out her tongue and placed the fluff on the tip, letting the others watch it melt. "It's candy." She gave a funny smile as she closed her mouth to eat the fluff, her eyes closing.

It was needless to say that Honey had purchased his own cone and ingested it in several short minutes. His fingers were sticky and pink stuck to his lips and chin as he finished the cone on Mori's shoulder like he was his child. Even Mori indulged in buying his own cone, but did not eat much of it. Honey would finish his first, and would ask for a second one, he knew.

The smell of sweet hurt her head in the hot summer sun. She was starting to grow faint and dizzy when she reached the end of the marketplace. Her footing stumbled over a crack in the cobblestone and she was able to right herself, but the whooshing in her head made her feel a disorientating sensation like swimming. The spinning in her head travelled to the pit of her belly and swirled like a vortex. Her stomach continued its gymnastics when finally it had enough and sought to purge itself. Her stomach was at least kind enough to have the patience to let her reach the sidewalk garbage, which only emitted a stench to promote the purging.

Kyoya was the first to react, as though he knew it was going to happen an hour ago. He was already on his cellphone calling for his medics. He was expressionless as he spoke, neither surprised she grew ill or horrified or bored.

"I'm fine, Kyoya-sempai. Must have been something I ate, or the heat." Kyoya brushed off her response and continued to speak to the mouthpiece, spouting off co-ordinates. Honey stayed on his soldier's shoulders, remarking that "too much candy couldn't have been what made her sick," and Hikaru and Kaoru took a step away from her, not wanting to deal with the stench, the sight, or anything to do with a woman vomiting on the sidewalk.


Two hours later she was in a hospital gown and house coat.

"This is a bit excessive for a bit of heat stroke, Doctor." Haruhi interrupted Kyoya's doctor and his barrage of questions.
"Haruhi." His stern voice commanded. "Answer the doctor's questions."

"When did you last eat?" He repeated, undisturbed by her constant refusal of help. The doctor was a portly man of average height. He had a laurel of brown hair crown a balding head. It appeared the hair he was missing on his head grew on his face to compensate, as he had a neatly trimmed beard, the short whiskers of which followed down his neck and disappeared behind his white shirt collar.

"This morning, I had some toast." She sighed, it was no use trying to fight it anymore. The doctor tapped the flat screen with a rubber tipped stylus, and scribbled words.
"Were you feeling ill before this morning?"
"No. It was just hot out and everything smelled bad together."

"And your last menstruation date?"
"You can't ask me that!" Her large brown eyes panicked between Kyoya and the doctor's faces, searching for help. Kyoya saw fit to see her drown in her embarrassment and the doctor tapped his ID card with his stylus. Her face fell, defeated.

"I don't know. Maybe... Maybe May... 15th? I don't keep track."

"Miss Fujioka, have you engaged in any sexual activity recently?"
"No!" The answer was a bit too abrupt. Again, eyes flickered to Kyoya.
"Miss Fujioka..."
He already knew the answer from the blood work administered upon her arrival.

"Back in June, before school ended." Kyoya had not known of the event, but had suspected to the point of knowing it had happened. Haruhi didn't catch the flicker of an eyebrow raised in surprise.

"Miss Fujioka, you're pregnant. Do you know the father?" Tears swarmed to Haruhi's eyes and her hands flew up to cover her face. She was going to be a great lawyer, and now that future was gone. Her life was ruined, all because of the stupid Host Club...

"I am not! I haven't craved pickles and ice cream or, or tuna and cookies! I just have a little heat stroke."
"Miss Fujioka, your blood work doesn't lie."

"I... I know the father." She heaved breaths like lead weighed on her chest.
The doctor stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling the young girl shudder in her breakdown.
"Is he outside, in that group?"
Her breath fell ragged as she was wracked with a heavier sob. The doctor took that as a 'no' and looked to Kyoya, who also shook his head no.
"I believe he is in Tokyo at the moment."
The doctor sighed, believing Haruhi to be another girl pregnant because of a one night stand

"Would you like to hear about your options?"
"No. No... Just... go, please."


The doctor had moved the box of facial tissues from the bedside table to beside her on the bed and took his leave.

Shutting the door behind him he was faced with a small waiting room filled with her friends, all with concerned faces. Hikaru still held a hefty brown paper bag in front of his torso, clinging to it in his worry.

The doctor didn't wish to be nosy, and so he only approached the crowd in two steps.

"Miss Fujioka will be alright, but she is with Kyo-kun at the moment. Please do not rush her."

Without so much as a second thought to the doctor's orders they pressed themselves against the door the moment he had left the small lobby. Each struggled to get through to Kyoya and Haruhi while Mori stayed a step behind. He picked the twins up by the back of their shirts and gently put them to the side. With the door relatively clear, he opened the door.

Kyoya was going to approach her to comfort her, but stopped himself when he saw the tissues immediately at his friend's eyes, unsure how to proceed. Haruhi was normally so level-headed, and seeing this display was unnerving for him. It was Tamaki that was the emotional one, not Haruhi.

"Oh. My. God. You're pregnant, aren't you?" Came Kaoru's voice from behind Kyoya.
A resurgence of sobbing occurred and Kyoya gave a soft smile that went unnoticed.
"Are you the father, Kyoya?" Kaoru's eyes flashed into narrow slits in a fit of anger that was threatening to be left unchecked. "You know how much Tamaki loves her, and you sleep with her and leave her all summer!"
Hikaru rolled his eyes. "It's obvious that Kyoya isn't the father, Kaoru."

"Is that why you've been avoiding Tamaki's phone calls, Haruhi?" Kyoya's voice was soft as he ignored the ruckus behind him.

"No... I really have been busy preparing for my summer job, and pre-studying for law school..." She drifted off, sentences stuttered through heavy breaths. In a flash something solid landed on her lap and she peeked behind the tissues to see a cellphone.
Tamaki's picture and number was displayed.

The cell phone was dialing.

"He needs to be here, Ha--"

"Hello Kyoya!" Came the voice through the device. The commotion immediately fell into a hush.
"Hello?" Tamaki said again after silence greeted him. Reluctantly Haruhi lifted the phone to her ear.

"Tamaki." Her voice was so soft and quiet as Kyoya pulled them from her lips. She did not want to do this.
"Haruhi? You are with Kyoya?"
"Yes, Tamaki." Kyoya took his seat in the doctor's chair beside the bed.
"Are you okay?"
"No..." The word did not want to hang in the air. It hung to her lip desperately, begging not to be said.

"Where are you." It wasn't a question, it was a demand. He could tell by her voice alone that she was in trouble, whether she was strictly sad or not he couldn't tell, but it stilled the animation he normally projected.

"At Kyoya-sempai's hospital..."
"Stay there, daddy's coming." With that she disconnected without saying good bye.
"Daddy's coming," she repeated in disbelief to the group waiting for her response. The phone was dropped to the mattress and she pulled the blankets over her head, tucking her body into a ball as the group hesitated before rushing to comfort her, all piling onto her bed.