An American Rabbit in Japan

Chapter 13

Bunny wasn't sure what time it was when she woke up, but she was thankful to have done it on her own. It had to be too early for the Host Club to be up. After lying in bed for what felt like ages, she decided to use what precious time she had to herself to take advantage of the enormous bathroom. Haruhi had warned Bunny that though Western style bathrooms were increasing in popularity, they still weren't commonplace. Bunny breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that this one appeared to be Western in every way. If she hadn't still been so sleepy she would have squealed when she saw the huge bathtub.

As the water slowly filled the tub Bunny discovered a large assortment of bubble baths, bath salts, and body washes. The note that accompanied them told her that they were there to be used as often as she wished. Minutes later, Bunny's head was barely visible through the thick, fragrant pink froth that nearly consumed the porcelain bathtub. She giggles, watched her toes disappear under the foam as she played at it with her feet.

"I should write to Haruhi today," she mused aloud. She decided it was time to drain the tub and starting writing after all of the bubbles had evaporated. She grudgingly got out and wrapped herself in a fuzzy bathrobe, staying in it after making sure the bedroom door was securely locked. She sat down at the desk, took out everything she needed, and began to write.

Dear Haruhi-

Nothing would come after that. Bunny paused for thought and tried again.

I've only been here a few days- "Ugh, no." She scrunched the paper up and tossed it into the small trashbin beside her. She took a new sheet of paper, smoothed it out, and began again.

Hey, Haruhi, how's it going?"Ugh, awful!" Trashcan. Another piece of paper.

My dearest Haruhi-"What the-NO."Failure. Trashcan.

Bunny tried to write her letter two more times and both times she failed as miserably as her first embarrassing attempts. With a huff she slumped over the desk and grumpily eyed the wastebasket full of crumpled papers. She stayed like this for nearly half an hour, grumbling to herself every now and then until an idea sprung into her head.

She suddenly jumped up and got dressed as quickly as she could and grabbed pen and paper before running out the door. I just need to go for a walk, she thought to herself as she sprinted down the hall. Explore this place a bit until I know what I want to say and how to say it. She was positive that she'd get nothing accomplished if she ran into anyone so she kept as low a profile as possible. Thankfully this wasn't a very difficult task since Tamaki and the twins gave themselves away by being so obnoxiously loud and Kyoya didn't seem to care what anyone else was doing as long as it didn't affect him negatively. She was sure that Honey would leave her alone is she asked him to and Mori... well, he never made much noise anyway.

Bunny wandered around for quite some time, occasionally stopping to write something down. Before she knew it the words started to flow like they usually did.

It's really nice here, as I'm sure you know, but it just doesn't feel right. I think it's because of Honey to be honest. He's so sweet and kind, and he looks so much like Peter I feel like it's driving me crazy. Sometimes it seems like Pete didn't die because I'm looking right at him, but I know that's not true. I saw his body. And the guilt is always here to remind me that it's my fault, that I'm the one who-

"Hikaru, that is an incredibly rude thing to say!!" Tamaki's furious reprimand ripped Bunny's attention away from her letter. She could hear Tamaki and the twins arguing about something and it sounded like they were getting nearer. She had been lounging on one of the chairs in what appeared to be a sitting room, but she began to panic as their voices grew louder, closer. Bunny jumped up, clutching her stationary, and tried to think of where to go. She couldn't hide under any furniture because she wouldn't fit. She decided to just leave the room altogether but right when she reached the doorway she realized she made the mistake of heading right in their direction. In a desperate last effort she ducked behind a column, just escaping their line of sight.

"Oh come on," Hikaru whined as they strolled right past her. "I've said worse."

"Hopefully not to Haruhi!!"

"Especially to Haruhi," Kaoru further goaded the blond. Tamaki made some kind of noise that was a strange mix of screeching and shouting. Bunny let out a small sigh of relief as their voices quickly receded. She waited a moment to be sure they were actually gone before darting around the column and-

Once again, she slammed into Mori. He grabbed the back of her shirt to keep her from hitting the floor.

"We've gotta stop meeting like this," Bunny joked as she tried to cover her embarrassment. I really need to work on my lack of observation skills. Mori said nothing in response and Bunny noticed he was alone. "Where's Honey?"

"It's time for his nap," Mori replied simply.

"Oh. I didn't know he took naps."

"He gets cranky if he doesn't."

It probably takes a lot of energy to be so happy all the time, Bunny thought. She soon began to feel awkward, just standing there with Mori, who was staring out the window.

"Hey, do you know if there's a library or something in here? I'm trying to find a quiet place to write, but this place is so huge it's like a maze." Mori seemed to think about her question for a moment then nodded. He silently turned and motioned for her to follow him. In a few minutes Mori had successfully navigated the labyrinth-like mansion and found the library for Bunny.

"Here," he grunted.

"Thanks." Bunny paused before taking a seat at a writing desk. "Hey, could you stay in here with me until Honey's nap is over? You don't have to, I mean, unless you want to."

"Sure." Something about the way she worded her request struck him as odd, and because he was sure Honey would have liked him to stay, he did. He went to look at some books and Bunny had to suppress a giggle when she saw that the top of his head was clearly visible above the very tall bookshelves.

Okay, focus now. She re-read what she'd written and continued where she left off. After many minutes of silence, Mori peered over the top of the book he's chosen to take a peek at Bunny. She was hard at work, bent so close to the letter that her nose nearly touched it. Her pen kept moving at a steady pace and when it paused for thought it was very brief. She suddenly straightened up and after one last glance at her writing, she signed her name and folded it up. Just as she slipped it into the envelope, the large double-doors opened and Honey came in.

"Takashi, Kyo-chan said you were in here," he said slowly, blinking sleepily and rubbing his eyes. He soon noticed the two of his friends that had been enjoying the silence together. "Oh, hi Bunny-chan! Whatcha doin'?"

"Hi, Honey!" Bunny couldn't stop thinking about how cute he was, stumbling into the room like a child looking for his big brother. "I was just writing a letter to Haruhi. How was your nap?"

"It was really good," he replied with a smile, squeezing Usa-chan tightly. "But I think I woke up because I got hungry. Is it time for dinner yet?"

"Let's go find out," Bunny said. She suddenly realized she had slept in later than she thought and hadn't eaten all day. "I'm pretty hungry too."

"Come on, Takashi!" The trio left the library on a quest for a meal.