Ouran Drabbles

Chapter 18
Inheritance

Ryoji was knew his wife was a brave and smart woman. He admired her fearless way of aiding justice for people. So he was surprised to come home one evening in a thunderstorm to find his couragous wife cowering under the table.

He crouched down, pulling his bandanna off his head, to peer at Kotoko.

"Sweetheart?"

No answer.

"Darling?" Ryoji tried again. This time gently poking his wife's arm.

She jumped and peered at him with tears in her eyes.

"Koto-AH!" he yelped as Kotoko's hand reached out and grabbed him by the collar. With surprising strength she dragged her husband under the table with her where she clung to him.

Ryoji folded his arms around Kotoko's shaking body. She jumped each time the thunder rumbled. Her face was buried in his chest to block out the flashes of lightning. He ran his hand up and down her back as he murmured soft words in her ear.

And so Ryoji did his best to be at Kotoko's side whenever a storm occurred. He relished the times when they would curl up together in the futon, Kotoko clinging to him for safety and comfort. It made him feel proud and manly to know his strong wife sought refuge in him.

However, time went on and Ryoji realized that Kotoko simply wanted comfort during her time of need. He came to this conclusion when Kotoko took to cowering under the table with a young Haruhi. It was a slight blow to his male ego when his wife told him that she would be fine if Haruhi was with her. That he could go back to work and not worry about the storms.

Still, whenever he was home during a thunderstorm, he would do his best to worm his way under the table with his two girls.

And then, everything changed. Kotoko was gone. Ryoji couldn't stand to be in the apartment when a storm occurred. There were too many memories. So he would leave. The park in the pouring rain. A bar. A store. Anywhere as long as it was not home.

Unfortunately, he never found out that his daughter had inherited her mother's phobia. He had simply assumed that it was Kotoko who needed Haruhi during that time.

And so, Haruhi endured thunderstorms the only way she knew how. Hiding under the table by herself. Until one day, someone found out of her fear and vowed to always be by her side in her time of need.