In Its Own Way
Winter
Otori Kyoya is a man known for many things.
His most infamous and valuable trait was surely his incomparable brilliance, which he could apply to every scenario one could think of. Academically, his grades at Ouran University are unrivaled. Socially, he is able to ease his way into any conversation and charm anything he wants out of his peers. His second most valuable trait was that he was one of the most good-looking men on campus, and he didn't deny it either. In fact, he used it like a superpower, and he loved it. He learned to harness the power of his attractiveness, combined with his bewitching skills and mannerisms turn into a potent combination to exploit those around him.
He wouldn't call himself sadistic, since he doesn't normally indulge in sadistic activity. No, besides his close friends and family, he simply didn't care about the actions of those around him. Unless it benefit him in some way he really wouldn't bother with people outside of his closely-knit social circle. Many people disapprove of this degenerate nature, but he simply calls it "survival of the fittest".
One of the only few people who understood his ways was Suou Tamaki, his best friend and business partner, but he was never really the type to ask about the nature of his ways, and so Kyoya often didn't question his.
But there would always be the rare occasion in which he would ask why his best friend was such an overwhelming dumb ass, and this was one of them.
"My lady, this is Kyoya!" Tamaki said enthusiastically, raising his voice slightly to ensure that he's heard atmospheric classical music of their favorite lounge, using his hand to gesture to Kyoya to a young woman by his side. "And he will be your designated escort this evening."
Tamaki is never allowed to drop clients on him at the last moment.
Kyoya examined the woman thoroughly, as he does with all the ladies Tamaki sends his way. She was of a lean and tight build, standing stoutly but confidently at the collar of Tamaki's collarbone. 'She works out...' he quickly assessed. She had a perky chest (which he easily ruled as fake), tight stomach, and a narrow waist, every curve of her body being hugged flatteringly by a navy slip dress and an expensive-looking creamy pea coat. 'Comes from wealthy family, upper-middle class at the least...' Her face was pretty and tanned and accented with light makeup, and her hair was pulled back into an elegant and easy high ponytail. 'She isn't one to waste time, but she's a bit of a perfectionist as well...'
Kyoya smiled a million-dollar smile at the girl, who slightly swooned. "My lady, please take a seat," he said ever-so charmingly, gesturing to the empty bar stool in front of him. "Let's get to know each other before heading out, shall we?"
"Of course, my good sir," the girl said, feigning manners similar to his own to lightly mock the situation, even curtsying for effect.
As she found her seat before Kyoya, Tamaki bowed to the two. "I hope you both have a wonderful evening, and I assure that you are in capable hands, dear Clarissa."
The girl, now identified as Clarissa, flirtatiously smiled at the blonde prince. "Thanks again, Tamaki-kun," she purred his name, but Tamaki wasn't swayed by her subtle sweetness, since he backed away from the two without another word. Clarissa sighed and shook her head, then looked back at Kyoya with the same dark and seemingly hungry eyes that were just on his best friend.
He held out his hand and made a gentle reach for hers. Once it had it, he brought it to his lips and tenderly pressed them against the back of her hand. "Miss Clarissa, by your leave."
Clarissa nodded at his formality. "So, Kyoya-kun," she began, propping her head in her palm. "Tell me about yourself."
Kyoya put both his elbows on the table and leaned closer to her, a technique that suggests his interest in the conversation. "There isn't too much to tell, honestly. I attend Ouran University with Tamaki and my two other friends, Mori and Honey, and we're all a part of this club." He noticed that she made a face when he said 'Honey', so he explained further. "Honey is his nickname. He's a pretty cute character once you meet him, and he's very sweet. His surname, Haninozuka, is where we get the 'Honey' part from."
Clarissa's fine eyebrow arched. "There's only four of you in the Escort Club?"
"Yes, that's right. It's fairly new, since it only began two years ago, and we only allow the finest young men into our club. We're working on getting two future freshmen involved now." Kyoya pushed his glasses up at the nose piece. "We don't often advertise our services, as they happen to speak for themselves, so I hope you will consider the Escort Club again in the future."
"I see," she mused, slightly feigning interest as her eyes wandered to the exposed skin of his chest. "Fascinating stuff..."
He lowered his head to level his face with hers, smiling as she turned bright pink. "It is, isn't it? For fear of further boring you, I would like to go over the guide lines of this arrangement once more, assuming Tamaki has already explained them."
She waved her hand in a dismissive fashion. "Go right ahead, I fear I've forgotten some of them already."
Kyoya chuckled. "Tamaki has a tendency to distract our clients."
"As do you, Kyoya-kun. I'll do my best not to have wandering eyes."
"Then I'll be as blunt as possible, my lady. While our primary goal is to keep all our clients as happy as possible, we do have a few distinct rules. First, this is a formal escort service. We don't offer sex or anything of a sexual nature during our escort sessions. That would make us a prostitution ring, and Tamaki our pimp. God knows what would happen if we gave that man the title 'pimp'." After Clarissa heartily laughed, he continued. "Second, we do not play the 'fake boyfriend' card. We're escorts, not actors, and it isn't in the best nature for anyone to make any attempts at making others jealous. Third, the men of this club pride ourselves at being 'zero-tolerance', so we won't indulge in alcohol or drugs with our clients. That will impair our judgment and make us anything but gentlemen."
Clarissa nodded in approval. "Noble. I like that."
"Now that I've given you a brief history of the Ouran University Escort Club," Kyoya grinned and leaned in further, "I'd like to know what sort of event I'll be escorting you to this evening."
She smiled rather knowingly, as if she were keeping a secret from the boy she liked on the playground. "My sister's art show downtown."
He raised a brow. "Art show?" He glanced at his simple attire of dark jeans and his blood-red v-neck sweater, wondering if his light brown overcoat and cream scarf would be enough for an event like that. "Aren't I a little under dressed for something like that? Should I go back to my apartment and change?"
One of the many reasons why Tamaki should never drop clients on me at the last minute.
She waved her hand again. "Nah, you look fine. If anything, I bet you and I will be kind of overdressed. This is one of those alternative art shows in some questionable abandoned supply house; loud techno music, black light effect and tiny flaming shots. I'd be surprised if the art wasn't mostly done in graffiti. My sister is really into that kind of scene, and her art is being displayed and is finally good enough to be auctioned. She's always on my case about going to her shows alone, so I thought I would bring a date to this important one."
He inwardly cringed at the word 'date', but kept his mouth shut, standing up and offering his hand to her. "Well, we best not keep her and her public waiting. My lady."
Clarissa smirked and took his hand confidently. Her hands were slightly clammy to touch, similar to many of his other clients. "Lead the way, my good man."
Kyoya obediently complied and escorted her out of the lounge, waving goodbye to Tamaki on his way out.
As they walked the brisk winter streets, mindlessly chattering about Clarissa's interests and studies, Kyoya huffed inwardly.
How can I lead the way? I have no idea where I'm going. Stupid girl.
He smiled and nodded as she kept talking, just as he does with all his other clients.
xxx
Hikaru Hitachiin groaned loudly and threw his head back in annoyance.
His twin, Kaoru, was seated on the couch of their shared bedroom, upside down and listlessly flipping through a magazine. "Did that guy email you again?" Kaoru asked, not even glancing at his brother's direction.
He rubbed his face in his hands and groaned loudly once more, affirming his brother's assumption.
"He's a tenacious bastard, that Suou guy," Kaoru sighed, flipping another page without reading it. "That's the fifth email in the past four days."
Hikaru shut his laptop and threw himself backwards on the pillows of their bed. He glanced at the clock at their bedside table, which read 22:23 pm. Their room was large and dimly lit by a standing lamp beside the couch and somewhat chilly from the slightly cracked windows that brought in the late winter breeze. "The 'Escort Club' thing is really starting to bug me. Why does he want us to join so badly anyway?"
"Because we're a pair of sexy twins and he wants to kidnap us and sell our kidneys on the Black Market. Well, maybe your kidneys, since I'm prettier."
Hikaru laughed as the pillow he threw at his brother smacked the magazine in his face. At the twins' bedroom doorway, they heard a girlish giggle that made their hearts jump.
"Haruhi!" The twin's synchronized greeting was brimming with delight.
"Hey guys," Haruhi grinned, removing her soft pink overcoat and throwing it in Hikaru's general direction, who caught it with ease. She held up a small plastic grocery bag and winked to the twins. "I brought some snacks from work today. Misuzu made too much for a small party that was being hosted at the pension, so he gave me some to take home."
Kaoru glanced at the bedside clock as Hikaru dove for the snacks that Haruhi rested on the glass coffee table in the middle of their room. A quick glance at her work uniform, a white long sleeve button-up and a pair of non-flattering formal black pants, made the light bulb in his head click on. "Are you just now getting done with work?" Kaoru noted disapprovingly, but she waved off his question as if it were hanging in front of her face.
"Yeah, yeah, it isn't a big deal though. We're on holiday and I did most of my studying during my breaks at work."
The calmer twin smiled fondly at her reply. In all the years the twins have known Haruhi, she hasn't done much to change her studious and casually indifferent outlook on hard work. There wasn't much else to be expected from the only middle-class student at their prestigious private academy: her scholarship clearly specified that she must remain at the top of the class to continue attendance. Kaoru admired that about Haruhi, along with almost every other trait he could think of when it came to their close friend.
"Won't your dad be wondering where you are?" Hikaru asked with a mouth full of crackers and cheese. "Not that we don't enjoy your company, and the free snacks you tend to bring over."
She simply shrugged and picked up a cube of cheese with her fingers. "He's working late again, so he told me I could hang out here for a while so I'm not home by myself." With a quick look at the twins, she slightly frowned, noticing their bare chests and sweatpants. "If that's alright with you guys. You're in your pajamas already."
Both twins scoffed in such perfect timing and tone that Haruhi giggled again.
"You know our sleep schedule better than anyone, Fujioka." Kaoru stated, reaching for a cracker and breaking it in half between his thumb and his forefinger.
"Yeah," the other twin said, stuffing his face a little more aggressively than his brother and female best friend. "You're often the one to wake us up in the middle of class. We're a pair of night owls, my brother and I, and that won't change just because our clothes call for the occasion."
Haruhi chucked a piece of cheese at Hikaru and grinned. "Leave it to me to save both your asses in the middle of class."
At the sound of her curse, Hikaru began to laugh as Kaoru feigned a dizziness in the same way a damsel would when faced with danger. "Such naughty language! And from our class' top student! Fujioka Haruhi, I am shocked."
"You'll live," she stated simply, casually walking over to their bed and opening the laptop. "So, this 'Suou Tamaki' guy emailed you again?"
"Yep." The twins said in sync.
"About this 'Escort Club' once we get into Ouran U.?"
"Yep."
"Claiming that..." Her eyes glanced over the latest email quickly. "'...you two will be valuable assets to the club, since you don't have many other extra curricular activities that you are interested in at Ouran...'?"
"Yeeep."
Haruhi glared at the email. "Isn't it a little suspicious that this guy knows what extra curricular activities you two aren't interested in? I mean, how could he have possibly known that? Unless he somehow saw your applications."
Kaoru shrugged. "Read the last email from a guy named 'Otori Kyoya'."
Doing as she was told, she skimmed through their inbox until she found the name, with an email header that simply read 'Ouran University Escort Club - Expectations of an Escort'. Haruhi cringed slightly as she read the carefully articulated words of the exceedingly creepy 'Otori Kyoya', ignoring the twins as they continued on their late-night snack rampage.
"'Escort Activities, Section 1, paragraph 2...'" Haruhi read aloud, a small quiver in her voice from the eerie email before her large brown eyes. "'First-year escorts are prohibited from engaging in any other campus club or group that would define them as a member, and must remain exclusive only to the Ouran University Escort Club. Exceptions are negotiable, but not recommended...' That doesn't seem fair at all!" She reeled back in an offended way. "And not only that, it seems like this guy is threatening you both! 'Exceptions are negotiable, but not recommended'? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Haruhi's eyes widened as she felt one of the twins against her back, putting their arms around her in an affectionate embrace. "Relax, Haruhi," said the voice over her shoulder that she recognized as Hikaru. Now that she thought about it, he was the only twin bold enough to hug her from behind. And the one that smelled like the most cheese and sausage. "It's not like we were planning on joining that cult anyway. Our first year at college is meant for us learning the ropes and having a good time. We didn't want to spend all our time at the arms of the women who 'formally request our company'."
She sighed in relief and patted Hikaru's head.
"Besides," said Kaoru, who was still on the floor and eating another cube of cheese, "The only way we would even think about joining is if that numskull Tamaki could win at our favorite game..."
The twins smiled mischievously and Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Your classic 'Which One is Hikaru? Game', right?" She wiggled her fingers as she said the name of the game, mystifying it for her amusement.
Hikaru poked at her cheek playfully and grinned. "Yes, indeed, and it's your job to stay the reigning champion! Don't tell him your secret at winning," he moved in closer to her ear and dropped his voice, "And if he tries to seduce you, just give up a little hand action to distract him and you'll be home free."
Kaoru laughed aloud as Haruhi pushed the playful twin off of her back, sending him tumbling off the bed.
xxx
A bit of character introduction, but not really much going on so far. Please forgive me if the characters are a bit OOC.
Let me know if you enjoyed it, and please leave a review!
the midnight minstrel