Home *OHSHC* (Complete)

Sweet Freedom

                        Nozomi spent the morning at Ouran Academy, strolling the grounds and hanging around in the club room. When lunchtime rolled around, the twins were the first to reach her and they ate together, hidden from the others. Kaoru asks how bad it was to stay with Tamaki whilst Hikaru teases her for having to deal with him. She waves off their questions, telling them that it was perfectly fine and Tamaki was a gentleman. Kaoru scowls at the mention of Tamaki's name but quickly changes it to a smile when he looks back at her.
"It's not the same at home without you." Kaoru tells her between bites of pizza.
"Yeah, all Kaoru does is mope about how much-" Hikaru is cut off by his brother's hand slapping over his mouth.
She giggles and sighs. "I do miss being there. I hope they find my mother soon so I can go back home- I mean back to your house." She blushes at her slip up.
"It's your home too, Nozomi. You're always welcome there and you know that."
She smiles again but frowns as the bell chimes, signaling the return to classes. They hug her and promise to be at the Host Club early before leaving her alone again.
                         About an hour after lunchtime, Nozomi finds herself on the grounds, wandering through the flower garden maze. She quietly sings a song under her breath as she walks, letting her thoughts roam free as she examines each plant. As she rounds the corner, her eyes widen and she opens her mouth to scream. A hand gently covers her mouth before any sound can escape as it's owner smirks at her. Her shock dies down and she pushes the hand away before hugging the person with her good arm.
"Hero! What are you doing here?" She asks, pulling away from the darkly clad man.
"As I've told you before, I keep an eye on you from time to time. Someone saw you leave with Tamaki this morning so I figured you would be here."
The pair continue walking, only stopping once they've reached the gazebo in the center of the maze.
"You've grown up to be a really beautiful young woman. I'm proud of you." Hero says, looking at her in an almost fatherly way. "I'm also proud that you've gotten off the streets and into a better life. You've got friends that are, as painful as it is for me to say, good kids, though they're rather strange. Especially the blond one."
"Tamaki is one of a kind, isn't he?" She mutters. "I'll never be able to truly thank you for saving me, Hero. Twice now, actually." She sighs and looks down at her lap. "I just wish the police would find her so I won't have to worry anymore..."
"Well, the police sadly are not worth much. But, I have a surprise for you."
Her icy blue eyes look up to Hero's golden ones, hers full of curiosity.
"What is it?"
"Since the 'incident' I've had Faceless across Japan searching for Aimi and she's been located and taken care of."
"W-What?" She stutters out, her eyes widening drastically.
Hero holds back the chuckle threatening to escape at how cartoonish the girl looks, but nods his head.
"Aimi won't be a problem any longer. They tracked her to an old inn and took care of it."
"T-They killed her? S-She's dead?" She asks, still frozen in place.
"Yes."
"I-I'm free...? I'm free! I'm free!" Her frozen state quickly turns into broad grins and excited jumping up and down. "I can go back to Hikaru and Kaoru's! But Tamaki will be sad... But I'll still see him all the time. I can go to the library again! Thank you Hero!"
She tackles the older man in a hug and he chuckles at her excitement as he hugs her back. Once she releases him, he gets to his feet and tells her he has to leave. She thanks him again before watching as he disappears into the maze again. Another smile crosses her face as she thinks about not having to worry about her mother or father ever again.
                                 Nozomi crashes through the doors of the Host Club room a minute after the final bell releases the students. The Hosts and their clients all look up in confusion, their eyes locked onto the silver haired girl. She grins broadly, ignoring the looks of the others before rushing over to the twins. They untangle themselves from each other and ask what happened and where she'd been.
"I'm free." She tells them simply, causing them all to give her confused looks.
"What are you talking about Nozomi?"
"I got word from... secret sources... and my mother has been taken care of. I don't have to worry about her anymore!"
Kaoru's face lights up and he gets to his feet, sweeping her into a hug, cautious of her injury. The customers cheer for her since they knew part of what had happened. The Hosts, minus Kyoya, gather around her and hug her in turn. Mori does his head pat instead, but she hugs his stomach anyway, causing the stoic man to blush. His customers start to swoon over his blush as she turns to face a sad Tamaki.
"So, that means you're uh, going back to the twins' house... right?"
She nods and offers a small smile. "Yeah, but I promise I will come visit you twice a week, okay?"
"Of course that's okay my beautiful little daughter!" He cries out, spinning her in a circle.
Nozomi sighs into his shoulder at his over-the-top antics.
"Now, if those demon twins act improperly, don't hesitate to call me." He whispers under his breath, casting glares at the smirking twins.

A/N: So, the end is near! It'll still be a handful of chapters until then but still, the end is coming. Stay tuned!