Take Us As We Are
Chapter 1
Hitomi Hyuga
The structure and dynamics of the human brain were not subjects that were completely lost on me. I knew the matter of which the brain was composed, how that matter functioned, and the effects of the interaction between that matter and chemical processes on human thought and personality. This information was available even in most basic secondary school courses. Many of my father's colleagues had spent their entire academic careers mastering the subject, a process that could take anywhere between eight to twelve years. To this day, there are still controversies over psychoanalytic theories, making psychology and the intricacy of the human brain one of the most debated subjects in all of academia.
And to be perfectly honest, I was quite bored by it.
It's not that I didn't understand it, quite the opposite in fact; I had passed my biology and even psychology classes with exceptional scores. I had done my damnedest to learn the lobes of the brain and the function of each one, but I had done so with very little enthusiasm. I never saw it as something I would need to study extensively as the chief executive of my father's business; sure, I would likely need to know the basics seeing as I'm running a medical business, but nothing past the bare essentials. I much preferred studying languages, especially English and German, and I thought language skills to be much more valuable to a businessman than those of life sciences.
Yet, as I watched Tamaki Suoh flit about Music Room #3, I couldn't help but wonder which part of his brain had malfunctioned and was making him act so ridiculously. And for that matter, which fuse had blown in the brains of our female guests that caused them to find his behavior so alluring? Their starry eyes followed his every move as he gave each of the ladies a little attention, just as he had done thousands of times before. I snorted despite myself, knowing that his "princely" routine was in very high demand among our guests and was very much the act that allowed our Host Club to take off. It was for this reason and this reason alone that I was able to tolerate his usual silly antics.
At least that's what I always told myself.
"Um…Kyoya?" My attention shifted from Tamaki's table to the girl who had approached my table, a girl I recognized as one of Honey-sempai's regulars. She was quite reserved compared to the rest of our guests, more keen to enjoy a host's company quietly rather than bombard him with questions and squeal when he answers them.
"Ah, Miss Koizumi. How may I help you?" I said, turning on the "cool guy" charm that apparently fit my persona (though I never saw it myself).
"I-I'd like to make another appointment for tomorrow afternoon with Haninozuka, please," she said, struggling to make eye contact with me.
"Of course, mademoiselle," I opened up the club's weekly schedule on my laptop. "4:15, your usual time?"
"Er, yes please," she answered. "Thank you."
"It's my pleasure, my dear," I said, giving her a small smile, as I did with every other guest. I noted the slight blush on her cheeks as she voiced her farewell and bowed anxiously before leaving the club. She had always been the bashful type, so I brushed it off as a behavioral idiosyncrasy.
Not long after, just when the last guest had left, we (the hosts) spent idle time together, cleaning up after the day's event, enjoying some of the leftover hors d'oeuvres, or, as I often spent this time, crunching numbers and working out the club's budget after the daily expenses were taken into account. Haruhi sat at the table with me, doing her homework, something that never ceased to amaze Tamaki and the Hitachiins for some reason.
"Haruhi, why do you have to do your homework here?" asked Kaoru.
"Couldn't you just do it at home?" chimed Hikaru. "C'mon, we're bored!"
Haruhi's brow furrowed. "I have chores to do when I get home; this is the only free time I have."
Tamaki was quick to step between her and the two brothers. "How could you two be so insensitive? What business of it is yours when and where she does her homework?" He turned to her. "If you wanted to, though, I could always come and help you with your household duties so you have more free time!" His eyes gleamed hopefully, an expression that was quickly dashed when he received his answer.
"No thanks, Sempai, I have about all I can handle of you during the day. I don't need you hanging around at home too." I smirked as Tamaki cried out in shock and disbelief (even though she had always been blunt with him) and went to sulk in the corner. The twins, spying an opportunity to torment him further, went to go mock him for his most recent rejection.
"Kyoya-sempai?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at the inquirer sitting across from me. "At times like this I'm very thankful for your company. I don't know how you can put up with Tamaki-sempai; you must have the patience of a saint!"
Actually, it's not that hard, I thought to myself, then shaking the thought as quickly as it had appeared. I simply nodded in acknowledgement of her statement.
"Now that I think about it…" Haruhi leaned toward me a little. "Why don't you ever have guests, Kyoya-sempai? You're always playing the bouncer of the club, when you could attract so many customers as a host. I bet your patience and charm would be really popular."
I stared at her blankly. "I don't follow."
"She's right Kyo-chan!" piped Honey-sempai, bouncing over to our table. "I bet you'd be really popular with the ladies!"
Tamaki seemed to recover from his humiliation and joined the conversation seamlessly. "You know, they're right! Kyoya, it's high time you start taking in guests as a host more often!"
"In case you all have forgotten," I began, eyeing all three of them. "I do occasionally take guests. But someone has to man the front of this club."
"We could always have Renge do that; she doesn't have female fans requesting her attention," said Hikaru, he and his brother pushing their way into this seemingly futile conversation. "C'mon, Kyoya-sempai, think of the income we could get from extra guests."
"Don't get me wrong; Renge is certainly passionate about what she does, but I'm not going to up and drop my duties as the club's financier and…"
"Secretary?" interrupted Kaoru. Snickers arose from the rest of the hosts, making my face redden in embarrassment.
"Call it what you will, it's what keeps this club afloat," I said coolly, closing my laptop. "And I won't be handing over what I do to another person anytime soon." I gathered my schoolbooks and bag and headed for the door. "Don't forget, everyone: tomorrow's theme is Greek wear. I'll have your attire prepared for you here at 2:30. We also will be having a mandatory club meeting to discuss our autumn event, so everyone needs to stay just a while longer after we dismiss our guests." My reminders were met with nods and a chorus of confirmations and goodbyes. Before I realized it, Tamaki was out the door and walking with me down the hallway.
"Going home early today? What's wrong, Mommy dear?" he said as he looked at me with wide, curious eyes and a playful grin. I smirked and averted my eyes from him, keeping them straight ahead as I walked.
"Nothing in particular; why do you ask?" I watched him rub the back of his head sheepishly, an unusual, yet strangely endearing, habit he exhibited when he was anxious.
"You seem angry. If we upset you in there, I apologize on behalf of all of us. I guess we just don't know when to let it go, eh?" he said with a nervous chuckle.
I gave him a rare sincere smile. "No, I'm not upset. I appreciate the concern, but it has nothing to do with what they said. I've got work to do, so I'm going home early to get started. It's as simple as that."
"Oh, okay! Well that's good!" all at once, Tamaki perked up and was himself again, just as I preferred him to be. "At the risk of upsetting you once more, I'd like for you to at least consider what we suggested; I think someone as charming and handsome as you would be incredibly popular with our guests."
I turned my face from him, feeling my face grow hot. "Er…fine, I'll think it over tonight."
Tamaki smiled, a minuscule gesture that even I couldn't bring myself to look away from no matter how embarrassed I was. "Excellent! I'll see you tomorrow, Kyoya!" A friendly arm around my shoulder almost pushed me over the edge, but fortunately it only lasted a few seconds. Then there he went, practically galloping back down the hallway to Music Room #3.
As much as I refused to believe it, I enjoyed those fleeting moments much more than I was willing to admit.
Just thought I'd put this out here and get a little feedback. Want more? I'll write more!
-H. H.