Stage fright (OHSHC)

Chapter 18

Our cute little Ryuu~

Yuki looked downwards as the room was quiet. Ryuu hid behind her and peeked at the group before seeing a familiar face.

"Daddy!" His eyes lit up as he ran over to Kazumi and threw his arms around his neck. Kazumi chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"Hey squirt. Were you good today?" Kazumi smiled fondly at the child as Ryuu nodded emphatically.

"Yeah! I even ate my green stuff for Miss Hana!" Yuki chuckled as Ryuu looked between the two for praise.

"Wow, you're such a big boy!" Yuki patted his head while trying not to make eye contact with the group. Kazumi looked at her as they exchanged looks and he nodded.

"Ryuu, tell the nice people bye. It's time for you to get a bath." Kazumi set Ryuu down as he stood. Ryuu clumsily bowed and told the group 'bye' as he left the room with Kazumi hand in hand. You could hear a pin drop in the room as Yuki wrapped her arms around herself.

"Is he..." Tamaki started, but didn't know which questions to ask. Yuki shook her head at him and looked in the opposite direction of him.

"Tamoya's. I know what it looks like.... He started calling Kazumi 'Daddy' after starting daycare a few months ago. We... didn't have the heart to correct him. Besides, it would be a much better alternative than the reality, don't you think?" Yuki started to shake as Haruhi walked over and hugged her. No words were exchanged, but Yuki was thankful for the warmth.

"How old is he?" Kyoya asked in almost a whisper.

"Almost 3. He doesn't understand... He sees his friends with both parents, so I guess that's the conclusion he came to." Yuki laughed almost bitterly. "Kazu and Yusuke have helped me raise him. I.... I wasn't honest with them about what really happened while I was gone. I was afraid of what they would say if they knew, but the truth came out eventually. And now... Yusuke is in a coma because of me. If I hadn't gone back to singing... this never would have happened...."

"What happened to him?" Haruhi asked as she rubbed Yuki's back.

"No one could get to me. The agency, Kazu, and Yusuke made sure of it. I had been receiving fan mail, but not replying. There was someone who was very persistent about seeing me, or 'I would be sorry.' I didn't think much of it, I was never alone.... I never thought that they would go after him.... Yusuke left work late one night and was attacked by one of my crazed fans.... Thankfully they were caught, but Yusuke still hasn't woken up.... Kazumi tells me that it's not a matter of if he'll wake up, it's a matter of when. Which, I'm grateful for, but the wait is brutal. That's why I stopped. I... I don't think I can go back this time. I know I have to support Ryuu, but I'll have to find some other way of doing that. That's everything. I didn't want to keep this from you any longer, but I knew that could mean that you might not want me around anymore. I understand.... If you think of me differently or don't want me in the club anymore. I'll respect whatever you guys want."

"You don't have to make any decisions now. You're not alone." Mori comforted Yuki.

"Yeah, that's right. My mind hasn't changed about how I feel about you, Yuki. If anything, I think you're insanely strong." Haruhi grabbed her hand and smiled as Yuki smiled through tears.

"Yeah, Yu-chan! We love you!" Honey hugged Yuki, while Mori followed and placed a hand on her head.

"There's a lot I don't understand, but I do know that what's happened doesn't change who you are to us." Hikaru smiled at Yuki as he placed an arm around Kaoru.

"Yeah, you're part of us now. There's nothing to be ashamed of, you've raised him well." Kaoru added while fighting back tears.

"Kaoru's right. After everything that's happened, you're still standing here strong. Everything you've done since then just proves how strong you are." Kyoya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose while looking away shyly, he's never this gushy after all. Yuki was overwhelmed by the love she was shown, but the person she really wanted to hear from couldn't speak.

"Tamaki?" He flinched a bit at hearing his name, but couldn't bring his eyes up to look at her. She saw tears falling from his face that his hair tried to hide. She looked down, fearing the worst.

"Senpai, why aren't you saying anything? That's not like you." Haruhi whispered out of earshot from Yuki.

"It's ok, I understand Tamaki. I kept this from you for so long, I'm sure you feel betrayed. You can lash out at me, you can leave me if you want. I'll understand, I'll take it." Yuki began to cry as she looked down.

Her words seemed to break Tamaki from his trance. He looked at her with eyes slightly wide, then with resolve. He walked over to her and the others separated from her, unsure of what to do. She looked around just in time to see Tamaki wrap his arms around her and pull her close. Her eyes widened in shock and she tried to pull away from him.

"No, Tamaki, you don't have to force yourself! I won't think badly of you.... I could never...."

"Me too! I could never think badly of you.... You've done well. You've worked so hard to get here. I know your parents would be proud of you." Yuki melted in his touch and at his words. Tears flowed from her eyes as she cried audibly and clung to Tamaki.

~~~~~~~~

After the initial shock of the news, the group slowly began to engage in talk as per usual. Yuki felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulders, and she thought back to Kazumi's words. 'These are your people.' She looked around at the group cutting up and talking about anything under the sun, even about how cute Ryuu was, and she couldn't help but smile as a warmth filled her chest. She truly believed these were her people. She wasn't alone anymore, they would always be with her.