Please read!
This is just a quick warning. This story won't be appropriate for kids or people sensitive to topics such as drugs, sex and violence. I will try to not describe them in detail whenever I can, but they will be obvious to have taken place. If you think you wouldn't like a story containing those topics, I suggest you find another. Otherwise, enjoy!
Prologue
Haruhi sat on the fluffy pink couch in music room 3, bored off her head. The weather outside was lovely. Perfect for staying indoors with the windows wide open, to feel the cool breeze. Or going on a cycle to the park. Or going to the store. Or going anywhere that wasn't here.
Its been a few weeks since school started again. Haruhi is now sixteen and in second year. Mori and Honey have moved on from Ouran. It was tragic. Mostly because Tamaki was in bits. Crying all over the place exclaiming how much this is unfair and how Honey could pass as an elementary schooler so that he could stay with us and Mori could become a janitor. His idea, of course, was turned down. The Twins, Hikaru mostly, were upset but held it together. Kyoya was... Kyoya. Haruhi herself was sad to see them go. She wished for them to stay but she knew they'd stay in contact, so she wasn't too distraught. Honey went on to teach in the dojo. He's doing great. Many new students. His appearance got many more females involved, which is awesome. He and Reiko are together now. Mori, which was surprising for someone who doesn't talk very much, began studying literature. In the Ouran university (Which you can guess is the university counterpart of Ouran Highschool). Mori told Haruhi he hopes to become a teacher in Japanese. Or perhaps English later on.
There were only a few girls in the club today. It was Friday and everyone wanted to go home. Including Haruhi and excluding every Host in the Club apparently. She wanted nothing but to get into something comfy and watch some TV to dumb her head down a bit after a whole day at school. She had her whole weekend planed. With boring chores that start tomorrow, so today was really her only day off. Or half day really.
Every one was busy right now. Kyoya sat at a table in the far corner of the room. Not taking customers today, doing some accounting, Haruhi assumed. The table where Mori and Honey used to serve stood empty, I vase filled with pink and dark blue roses. Tamaki made sure they always stood there. The Twins, were doing some devils work of course, Hikaru held his hand on Kaoru cheek tenderly. Twincest made her shiver with disgust. However the girls they were with shivered for a different reason. Haruhi snorted, watching as they squealed in joy as the boys got dangerously close to each other. Ew.
And of course, lets not forget the life of the party, Tamaki. The blond sat in the centre of the couch (and attention) a few tables away. He was dazzling the girl with his best techniques, like he always does. Buttering their rolls with compliments that have been recycled for the thousandth time yet still seemed to work magnificently. Remember kids. Reduce, reuse, recycle. She smirked at her own joke.
The club would be closing in about thirty minutes and she would kill to go home. She doesn't even need to be here. Her debt is paid. Haruhi sighed.
"This is boring," She got up swiftly, straightened out her school pants and walked over to Kyoya, who was too busy typing to even notice she was standing right in front of him.
"Kyoya?" She asked. He looked up at her with a suspicious look in his eyes. "I'm gonna head out. No one is going to come this late."
He pushed his laptop the side and placed his hands on the desk lacing them together. He gave her a dangerous look, as if to say, "Is that so? Who let you decide?"
Haruhi swallowed. Even though they're friends, he still scared the crap out of her. He was a very intimidating guy, he looked like a man with power. It was freaky.
Haruhi cleared her throat uncomfortably. She rocked back and forward awkwardly and looked around for a second. God he does this every time! Tries to guilt trip me from going away.
And just when Haruhi was about to give in with a "fine," and turn back to her station, Kyoya tilted his head to the side innocently and smiled. "Of course. Take care on your way home," then immediately turned his head to his laptop and continued to type, ignoring Haruhi's confused face completely.
Haruhi shook her head. 'You could have just said yes no problem straight away but nooo,' she thought. She went to the closet where they kept their school bag was kept, a scowl on her face.
She grabbed her bag, hopping not to arise any attention from the other boys. She successfully manages to go unnoticed and heads for the door. She grabs for the handle when..
"See you tomorrow Haruhi!" Kyoya calls out loudly.
You ass wipe.
"HARUHI! You're leaving?! Without saying goodbye!? How could you do something so cruel! Do you not want to stay with us any longer!? Do you-" Tamaki's voice rang like a church bell through the semi silent room. Tamaki went on but Haruhi just stared at Kyoya with the most dead expression she could utter. Kyoya tilted his head in artificial innocents.
Before Haruhi could utter a word, her phone rang. God bless phones.
"I'm so sorry Tamaki but I need to get that, I'll be right back," She lies as she squeezes through the barely open door. As she's about to close the door, she can see Tamaki is about to say something but then stopped and pouted.
Haruhi closed the door behind her and it shut with a loud thud. She feels a pang of guilt in her chest. He seemed really upset just now. Maybe she shouldn't have done that. Since the Lady Éclair incident, he's been nothing but nice to Haruhi and she was just.. being Haruhi. Not really caring what others thought, which indirectly meant not caring how they feel. Which wasn't true. She did care about Tamaki's feelings. Just like she did about everybody else's (even Kyoya and his weird... weird feelings). She did care, but not enough to waste thirty minutes on sitting doing noting. Alone.
Her phone rang again. Oh yeah, she remembered. She brushed her guilt off and started walking away from the Music room. She looked at her phone screen and saw she had three missed calls from dad. She answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Haruhi! Finally! I've been trying to get to you for 10 minutes now! Where were you?"
"I was at the club, remember?"
"Oh.." His voice became low. He still hasn't fully warmed up towards Tamaki, which Haruhi found quite entertaining.
"Well? What did you need dad?" She jogged down the empty stair case. The afternoon sun was shining through the large windows, painting the walls and marble floor ahead of her bright orange.
"Wha.. Oh yes! Get home. Fast! I have a surprise!"
"Is it a good one? Or am I going over to Grans for the summer again?"
The last time that happened it was an absolute disaster. Her grandmother, Riku, was so invasive and demanding, Haruhi refused to eat with her because she would constantly be correcting her. Do this, don't do that. The thought of spending even a second there alone again made her stomach flip. Ugh.
"Would you like to?" Ryoji teased Haruhi, knowing well that she hated it. He hated it too. Being away from her for three weeks was a bit distressing. He wouldn't do it again.
"Take a wild guess?" She said sarcastically. She shuddered.
"Ha ha... Anyway, Get home quickly. We need to have a chat,"
"I'm just leaving the building right now," she said, which she was. She walked up to her bike which was leaning on the side of the building, because there was obviously no bike stands in Ouran.
"See you soon!" They exchanged bye's and Haruhi put her phone in her bag. She didn't bother putting a lock on her bike when she left it here in the morning. These kids could afford a bike factory with their pocket money and still have enough cash for a pony. Or maybe even two.
She got on her bike and put on her helmet. She led her bike towards the front gate. She walked around the fountain. She remembers the time she was fishing for her stuff and Tamaki helped her out. They were still very new to each other when that happened so she was very surprised to see that someone so posh could do something as degrading as getting into a public fountain. She, again, feels a bit guilty about how she treated Tamaki a few minutes ago. She decides she'll text him tonight. That'll boost his mood. And hers too!
I swear if he calls me daughter again I'm gonna vomit She fake gagged and giggled a little.
Haruhi mounted her bike. It creaked as she let her weight slowly sink onto it. She should probably oil it up a bit. She added that to her never-ending list of chores for the weekend. She looked both ways on the road, it was calm and peaceful with no cars in sight.
Haruhi took her time on her way home. She took in the afternoon sun as it shone through the trees on the side of the road. Occasionally she would pass pedestrians, but no one she knew personally. The cool breeze danced through her now neck length hair, tickling it gently. Haruhi added a haircut to her list.
When she finally arrived home, she leaned her bike again a column and tier her bike with a chain, taking her key, helmet with her into the house. She jogged up the stairs quite fast, her curiosity getting the best of her.
Haruhi opened the apartment door quickly. The inside was just a bit cooler then the outside, which Haruhi found pleasing. She smelled something very pleasant, and because Ryoji doesn't know how- well, can't physically cook, it's take out. Which means there's a special occasion.
"Dad, I'm home!" She dropped her bag and carelessly threw her bag down and slipped her shoes off. She neatly placed them on the shoe wrack.
"Ah! Finally! I thought I'd grow a beard before you came home," He joked. "Come into the kitchen so we can eat," He invited.
Haruhi obliged and walked to the kitchen. She was still in her uniform, but she was gonna launder it tomorrow anyway. She sat down and grabbed the chop sticks. Before her was a plate of sushi. Which she found very suspicious. She considers the possibility her father is bribing her. Its working she things as she digs in.
"So what did you wanna talk about?" Haruhi asks as she gently places a piece of sushi in her mouth. Slowly chewing and savouring the flavour.
"How was school Hun? Something happen? Anything extraordinary?" Ryoji asked excitedly. At first, Haruhi thought he was ignoring her question, but she quickly realized that the surprise, whatever it may be, has something to do with her school.
"Um.. not that I know of dad. Why?"
He looked disappointed. "Aw shucks. Well, I was gonna tell you anyway so it doesn't matter. I was hoping you'd find out the cool way,"
"Find out what dad? What's going on?" Haruhi was getting a bit frustrated now. What's with the secrecy?
"Do you remember your cousin Mai? The one that left when you were thirteen? You two were best friends back then," Ryoji says, dreamily.
Haruhi's shoulders drop in surprise. She hasn't heard from Mai in years now. They lost contact when she moved away with her father to America. Mai didn't cross Haruhi's mind since she met the Host Club... until now.
"Yes... What about her?" she asked cautiously.
"Well, she's moving back to Japan! Isn't that great?" He announced.
Haruhi suddenly felt... elated! She remembers missing her older cousin very much when she moved away. They would do almost everything together. They would go to parks, cook, paint and go to school-
"Wait, you said I'd find out through school. How?"
"That's the best part! Mai has been granted an art scholarship at Ouran!" Ryoji answered, practically leaning into his plate with his whole body.
"An art scholarship? That's a thing?" Haruhi asked sceptically. She never heard of something like that.
"Ok, so here's the story. Apparently poor Mai was expelled from her old high-school, reason unknown by the way, and she was on the street for a while-"
"Wait," Haruhi interrupted her fathers rant, "What about uncle? Where was he?"
Ryoji visibly tenses at the mention of the man. Haruhi remembers her uncle as a tall, scary man. She remembers that he and his aunt divorced and because she was unemployed, he got custody of Mai. Aunt died soon after wards. She was a smoker. Uncle... uncle Kenzo? She thinks that sounds right. She also remembers Mai showing up with a bunch of bruises and burns once. She stayed with Haruhi and Ryoji for a while. Kenzo showed up once, got physical with dad and took Mai by force. They left a few weeks later.
Haruhi was confused by what happened back then, but thinking about this now, makes a lot more sense than before. Haruhi frowns. She felt sorry for Mai. She spent, not only her childhood with a tyrant, but her teenage years as well. Haruhi only hopes that he didn't hurt her.
"Kenzo is M.I.A. right now," Ryoji said bitterly. "so he wasn't able to care for his daughter properly. Not surprising really,"
"Oh," Haruhi answered simply, wanting nothing more than to move on with the subject.
"As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted, life wasn't very good to Mai... but she got lucky! She got into some program, 'Save the Youth'?"
Haruhi remembers Tamaki mentioning it a few times during club meetings. It's an international organisation for teenagers who have 'lost their way' as Tamaki put it nicely. It's and organisation for dropouts, junkies, thieves and teen moms. They're going some good work. Or so she's heard.
Is Ouran somehow involved in 'Save the youth'?
"They helped her a lot," He continues, "She got a job and her own small place. She's being supervised by someone once a day but she lives mostly alone" He seemed to have finished.
"And? How does that-"
"Stop interrupting me. Jeez,"
Haruhi sighs.
"Do you remember her drawings?"
How could I forget them? Haruhi tries to recall all those sketch pads, those note books and stray pieces of paper. All filled with drawings, sketches and whatnots. Some better than others but all were still beautiful. Mai had a talent. She drew whenever she had a chance. Nature, people, animals.. Anything she laid her eyes on had to be put on paper or it didn't count as seeing it. She was an inspiration to Haruhi.
"She started painting again after she settled," Haruhi tried to imagine how good her art must have gotten. She was incredible at fourteen, how good is she a seventeen?
"Her works were amazing and selling them became her major source of income. She was having her works exhibited outside her house and guess who just happened to drive by? A rich school owner, who was looking for some cheap way to advertise himself as a do-gooder. Yuzuru Suoh and a few of his associates were heading for a meeting with the head of the S.T.Y. and he just happened to stumble onto her. At first, he was just curious about her work, then he got into her backstory and found out she's with the S.T.Y.. So he got in touch with them and here she is! In Ouran!"
Haruhi was silent for a moment.
"Are you ok?" Ryoji asked her, worried that she mightn't be pleased with this turn of events.
"Are you finished?" She asked jokingly.
"This is serious Haruhi!"
"I know, I know. That's great dad. I'm happy her life's back on track,"
Haruhi was genuinely happy to be able to see her cousin again. They were practically sisters back then. She always wanted a sister.
"Haruhi this isn't the only thing. I need to ask you, you live in this house as much as I and you have every right to say no to me, ok?" Ryoji asked nervously.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Mai has no where to live. Ouran offered her dorms and she has yet to accept but I told her to hold off a bit. I was hoping that she could live with us. I know we don't have much room but I could get a roll out couch and sleep on that, you would get my large room and Mai could get yours? You can say no and she'll live in the dorms. I just wanted you to be close agai-"
"Oh yes! Of course she can stay! I could use a helping hand around the house when your not around. Some company would be great too!" Haruhi responded excitedly. It'll be like having a sister! OH she's so excited!
"I'm so happy you agreed! I'll give the S.T.Y. a ring later and tell her she'd be living with us. She still has some paper work with her house and job over there," Ryoji explained.
"So, when will she be here?" Haruhi asked impatiently.
"In two weeks"
So there it is! The prologue. I wrote it in one sitting and edited it in the next! I hope you enjoyed that and I hope to see you again. I just wanted to say that this is going to be a slowburn (hopefully) and a late bloomer. So all the stuff mentioned at the start will come around in a few chapters. Please leave a review so I know how you feel about my story! Bye!