An American Rabbit in Japan

“Um, guys? I can’t honestly say I’m completely comfortable with this.” After Bunny changed back into her clothes from earlier, the twins blindfolded Bunny and tossed her into the back of their limo at Tamaki’s command. She was now nestled in between the two troublemakers, blindfold still in place, wearing a confused and slightly afraid expression. Kyoya, Honey, Mori, and Tamaki were sitting across from them.

“Oh, come now, Bunny!” said Tamaki, gazing adoringly at her, although it was useless because she couldn’t see him through the blindfold. “You can trust us. Don’t you like surprises?”

Bunny wasn’t sure if she should answer his question or not.

“Um… no, not really….”

Tamaki acted as if he had not heard her.

“It’s going to be so much fun, Bunny! Of course we won’t be able to spend too much time here because none of us are properly dressed, but we can come back when you want.” This made Bunny raise an eyebrow, but this was her only response.

“Oh, we’re heeeerrre!!!!” Tamaki sang before long. Bunny reached to undo her blindfold, but the twins stopped her.

“Nah-uh-uh,” said Hikaru.

“It’s still a surprise. You have to wait for Tamaki-senpai to take it off,” said Kaoru. Bunny sighed, but it came out as more of a huff.

The chauffeur got out and opened the door for Tamaki. Tamaki got out and pulled Bunny out by the hand.

“Hey, we could’ve gotten out then, Boss,” said Hikaru grumpily.

“Nah-ah, ladies first, my good men,” said Tamaki, smiling down at Bunny graciously. Once again, his action was wasted because of her blindfold. Her face was blank, devoid of emotion.

But on the inside, she felt like she was standing on a plank of wood in rough waters, uncertain and unsteady.

The rest of the boys filed out of the car and the chauffeur left to park the vehicle. Honey ran ahead of everyone, laughing and jumping around, Mori standing not too far away. Kyoya turned away from them and took out his notebook. Kaoru and Hikaru disappeared, most likely getting into some type of mischief. Tamaki took Bunny by the hand and led her ahead.

“This way, Bunny, just a little but further!” He led her at a slow pace so she wouldn’t trip on anything.

A salty scent began to fill the air with each step they took, as did the sound of crashing waves. Bunny’s stomach began to twist with discomfort as she began to get an idea of where she was.

“Okay, I’m going to take the blindfold off now. Are you ready?”

Bunny nodded, gripping the hem of her shirt tightly in her fists. She gasped as the blindfold fell away and allowed her to see.

It was a beach. The sun shone brightly down on them, making the sandy shores seem to glitter. The sea glistened as waves gently rolled onto the shore, creating a calming, rhythmic sound. Tamaki breathed deeply, sighing in content.

Bunny slowly scanned the area, taking every bit in. Her eyes began to fill with moisture.
“Tamaki… can we go now?”

“Huh?” He stopped, mid-stretch, and looked down at her, a puzzled look splashed across his face. “What do you mean, Bunny? We just got here—“

She looked up at him, eyes wet. A single tear spilled down her cheek as she blinked.
Tamaki’s breath caught in his chest; this was the exact opposite reaction he was looking for. Without speaking, he grabbed her and pulled her close to him in an embrace. He smoothed her hair down as she clung to the front of his shirt.

“Hey, now,” he said in a soothing tone. “It’s okay, there’s no need to cry.” She pushed herself away from him quickly, although inside she regretted it.

“I’m not crying,” she said defensively. Tamaki was shocked to see it was true, she wasn’t crying. Tamaki would have thought he had been seeing things if there wasn’t a damp line running down her face, left by the first and only tear.

He stared at her for a moment, then asked:

“Do you still want to go?” She looked down at the ground, flinching when she saw the sand so she closed her eyes instead. She nodded, not wanting to speak.

“Okay then. We’re leaving,” he said simply. He started to walk away, but stopped when he noticed that Bunny wasn’t following him. He turned and saw her staring out at the ocean, as if she was seeing something he couldn't.

Tamaki was about to call out to her, but thought better of it and decided to just wait. A breeze drifted through the air, and though it was warm, she shivered, folding her arms across her chest and hugging herself.

Tamaki reached out and grabbed her by the hand, jerking her out of her thoughts and bringing her back. She slowly turned around and looked at him. He said nothing but smiled reassuringly at her. After a slight pause, she laughed and pushed a lock of hair away, smiling back at him.

He didn’t know why she was so upset, what was troubling her so much she felt the need to hide it, but he was determined to find out and help her.

Bunny didn’t let go of Tamaki’s hand as they walked back. Holding on to him made her feel calmer, more secure. It was a feeling she had missed, so she wasn’t about to just get rid of it.

Tamaki didn’t mind. In fact, it was going along almost according to plan. Walking together on the beach, the sun making their golden locks glisten… He only needed to say one thing to complete this scene.

“Bunny,” he said, his voice low, but full of caring compassion. “I know we just met, and may not know each other very well, but I hope that one day you’ll be able to think of me as a dear friend, as family, maybe even, one day, as… a father.” Bunny stopped in her tracks. She slowly looked up at him, her expression blank.

“What….” She took another moment to gather her thoughts. “What makes you think I need another father?”

“Umm, uh…” Tamaki was having trouble gauging Bunny’s reaction. She seemed calm, but he didn’t know if she would explode like Haruhi does sometimes. “Uh, nothing, I’m sure the father you have now is wonderful—“

“Yeah, he’s the greatest.” She smiled to herself as she thought of him. “He doesn’t try too hard to be cool, he just is. He always does what’s best for the family, even if it means passing up a few of life’s luxuries. He’s so self-sacrificing.” Her tone was one of admiration and love. Tamaki smiled.

“I meant no offense, Bunny.”

“And none was taken.” They both smiled and they were silent for a moment.

“So, about this ‘family’ business,” said Bunny. Tamaki perked up hopefully. If he had a tail, it would have been wagging. “I’m sorry that I can’t be your daughter.” Tamaki drooped a little. “But I’ve always wanted an older brother….”

“Then I adopt you as my younger sister!!!” Tamaki exclaimed, not giving her a chance to finish. Bunny was a little shocked by his outburst.

I shouldn’t be though, she thought in exasperation. Haruhi was always talking about how hyper these guys are, especially Tamaki.

But Bunny knew that this was one of the many things that made the Host Club so endearing.
Tamaki had been hugging Bunny and cooing over her during her thinking. She was beginning to get so used to it she hadn’t even noticed when he started it.

“Um, Tamaki?” she said shyly. Tamaki stopped and straightened up.

“Yes, Bunny? What is it?” Bunny looked down at the ground, obviously embarrassed by what she was about to say.

“Um, do you mind, um, giving me a piggyback ride? You see, I don’t like sand, and I’m afraid it’s gonna get in my shoes, and—“

“Oh, Bunny!!!” Tamaki scooped her up and began rubbing his head on hers again. “You have no idea how happy you just made Daddy—I mean, Big Brother!!!” He had tears leaking out of his eyes. Bunny thought a giggle would be appropriate. Tamaki wiped his eyes and lowered himself.

“Okay, hop on.” She did, and Tamaki giggled to himself.

Whenever he thought of her, she had bunny ears and a tail. Seeing her literally hop just made it funnier.

Bunny heard his giggle but decided to ignore it. Only God knew what was going on inside that boy’s head.

“I’m sorry I ruined this,” Bunny said. “I—I just can’t face going to the beach, not after—“ She stopped herself. She struggled with herself, trying to find the words.

“Don’t worry about it, Bunny,” Tamaki said, smiling gently. “Whatever it is, I know you’ll tell me when you’re ready. It’s okay if you don’t fully trust me yet.”

Bunny was shocked. She didn’t expect him to be so… understanding.

“Okay, so what do you wanna do next?”

“Hmm…. I don’t know…” Bunny drummed on her chin as she thought. “Well, there was one place I wanted to go to today, butI don’t think such high class guys like youself would like to go…”

Tamaki gasped.

“Do you mean, the—“

“Commoner’s market.”

No words could express Tamaki’s joy, but his speed definitely could. He zoomed past the twins, who were doing something suspicious in the sand, past Honey and Mori, knocking over Honey’s carefully crafted sandcastle; and past Kyoya, making the pages flip rapidly in his notebook, much to his displeasure.

“To the commoner’s market, please!” Tamaki said to the chauffeur. The man nodded and drove off.

“Um, Tamaki?” Bunny said sheepishly. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Huh?” He looked around, oblivious.

Back at the beach, Kyoya pushed his glasses up with a sigh.

“That big idiot,” he muttered to himself as he pulled out his phone to call his limo. Hikaru and Kaoru stared at the quickly disappearing vehicle in disbelief.

“I can’t believe it,” said Hikaru.

“They forgot us,” said Kaoru.

Honey giggled.

“I guess it really stings Hika-chan and Kao-chan, huh, Takashi?”

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged confused looks at what Honey said. Then it dawned on them.
“HEY, THAT’S OUR LIMO!!!” they screamed, desperately running after the car. They stopped after only a few seconds though, already hot and tired. A second limo pulled up beside them.
Kyoya rolled down the window, an evil smirk on his face.

“Get in. We’ll catch them.”

“Yayyyyy!!!” said Honey as they drove off in hot pursuit of the stolen Hitachiin limo.

“Tamaki? Taamakiii.” Bunny waved a hand in front of Tamaki’s face.

“Huh? Oh.” He snapped out his daze. “Yes, what is it?”

“Tamaki, you left the other guys back at the beach.”

“Uh, wha--?” He quickly looked around again, smacking himself in the face when he realized that it was true; only he and Bunny were in the limo, aside from the driver.

“Is this even your car?”

“Uh, no…” Bunny rolled her eyes.

Good job, Tamaki. I guess he used all of his brain cells earlier. When Tamaki wasn’t looking, Bunny allowed a giggle to escape from her lips.