Author's Notes: I had to wonder why Tamaki acted so much like his father even though he grew up with his mother. That's when I came up with this.
In Search of Beauty
Tamaki had never seen so many people at once. Certainly his mother had held some parties when she was feeling a bit better but none of them had ever been this grandiose. The parlour down below was swarming with people dressed in fancy clothes, all of them members of influential families. And Tamaki was expected to become one of these people.
The blond boy was currently leaning against a railing on the alcove above the party room, hidden from anyone's sight by the gigantic flower vases. He was intent to learn everything he could about the life he had been brought to even though his grandmother had forbidden him to join the festivities going on.
The five-star hotel chosen for the party to take place in was truly first class but Tamaki doubted it held any ground in comparison to the home of Suou Yuzuru. But, since Tamaki had been told that he would not enter the manor in question without becoming the official heir of the family first, the blond teen was glad that he had arrived to Japan just in time for this particular party.
Suddenly Tamaki's attention was captured by a group of four entering the parlour. They all had dark hair of varying shades but they all walked with precise, purposeful steps towards his father who was walking up to meet them. The foursome consisted of one older male, two young men and one teenage boy who had to be around Tamaki's age.
An expression of awe took over Tamaki's face as he watched the symmetrical way the newcomers all moved in and he came to the conclusion that this had to be Ootori Yoshio and his sons. Tamaki knew enough about the financial world to recognize such important figures.
The railing was squeezed tightly underneath Tamaki's stern grip as the boy desperately wondered if that was what his grandmother wanted him to be. He could never be able to mimic the strict self-control displayed by the Ootori clan. It would be impossible for him to change his nature so drastically in such a short amount of time he had.
A sigh escaped from between Tamaki's lips as his eyes trailed over the other people in the room. He saw none with quite the fierce stature of the Ootori's, however, and wondered if perhaps the goal was not to become like the person who seemed most formidable, but to become like his predecessor. If Tamaki was to be Suou Yuzuru's heir, he was to become like Yuzuru and that way become suited for the job.
Glancing to the side, Tamaki's eyes fell on the vase full of deep red roses next to him. Plucking out one of the long-stemmed flowers the blond whirled around and made his way on a mirror on a wall a short distance away. Presenting the rose before him much like he had seen his father do many times the boy spoke out: "A token of my appreciation of your beauty."
A frown came over Tamaki's face immediately as the blond realized how utterly unconvincing he had been. A sweet smile would not be enough to charm an intelligent woman. He needed to obtain more charisma without having to sacrifice any sincerity.
Breathing in long and deep Tamaki focused on his mirror reflection, forcing his eyes to see the image he painted for himself. He imagined his hair to be longer and to fall around his shoulders in golden waves. He thought about long lashes and a slim mouth, an elegant nose and full lips and suddenly he saw a completely different image from his own reflection.
Without the blond himself seeing it, a tender smile came over his face and his eyes seemed to shine as he bent lower at his waist in an elegant bow and offered the rose to the ghost image of his mother. His voice lowered into a pleasing mumble as he spoke gently: "I present to you a beauty that is far outshined by your own." And in the next instant he snapped out of his trance, grinning widely before he breathed out: "And there it was."
Tamaki knew that his grandmother hated his mother and that she hated the fact that he was his mother's son, especially since the boy looked the part down to every detail. But Tamaki could not will his appearance to change so he would change his inside. His mother was the most beautiful person on earth, and Tamaki looked like her so he must have been beautiful to look at as well. And now Tamaki would become like his father on the inside, because that seemed to be what his grandmother thought beautiful.
This was his goal; he would be beautiful both inside and outside and he would win his grandmother's love. Tamaki would now become Suou Tamaki in the full meaning of the name and he would be perfect. He swore on his mother's tears that he would be perfect.
Owari