Hola! I'm back with a new One-Shot! Whoo! I love One-Shots. Okay so first I would like to start by saying that I missed you all. I read every review over and back again. On my very first one-shot, I was given mean reviews because it was character death. I was "F***ed up". It broke my heart at first, but now I laugh. I'm not held responsible for what you think of my stories if I give the warning. So I will take that insult and put it in my pocket and every time that I think I need a boost I look at it to show that I am better than what people think of me. *Smiles*
Anyways, I am happy about the positive feedback I got from my Two-Shot "Magic 8-Ball" It's probably my favorite that I have written so far, so I guess I'm just going to have to up my game.
Oh before I forget… Happy New Years and let this story be a good first for this year.
When people stare at me I tend to wave them off, I never dwell too much on how people may perceive me. I have never been the type who thought too much on beauty or think about what beauty is. It actually never mattered to me. In my eyes, everyone was beautiful, because we were different. I guess that means that difference is beauty to me. Hmm. I'm still not a good judge of it.
I hear neighbors tell my dad how much I look like my mom. I can see that. The dark hair. The dark eyes. I even have the half dimple on left cheek like she did. Tamaki once said that she beautiful. So did that mean that I was beautiful? To my standards, I was. I never met anyone like me before. However, to physically take in the appearance and compare us, was I beautiful like her in everyone else's standards.
I was only five when my mom died. My dad tries to be motherly, but when he explains things, I just get confused. One time he tried to talk to me about periods… let's just say, the way he explained it, I was confused on how any girls lived after having one. I ended up going to the library to calm my fears of dying. My mom always knew just what to say and how to say it.
Except one time.
The time she tried to talk to me about what beauty was.
I remember it well. It was in the last month before she died. A week before she got sick. She had weekends off from her firm, but dad had to work night shifts. So, while he was sleeping, we went to the park. I was so excited, just like any day I got to spend with my mom.
She was pushing me on my favorite swing. At the time the bars were a vibrant red with blue, safety chains, and yellow seat. It was a set built for my age group, so it didn't go very high. The set is still there, but the color has faded immensely. The red looked pink now. There was also a Sukura tree that was about the same age as me. It was planted three months after I was born by the community. It's flowers were a bright pink.
My mom had went to the tree and plucked one of the flowers. She placed it right behind my ear on the right side of my head. I smiled at her as she did so giggling at me.
"My beautiful springtime baby." She said fondly, leaning down and kissing my cheek.
"How do you know I'm beautiful?" I had asked. It was a question that really burned inside of me. When out grocery shopping with my mom, many people would tell her just how beautiful we both are. Though, I had no clue how they knew. I didn't even know. I didn't understand how someone could know something about me before I did.
She just laughed at me before picking me up and sitting me on the bench with her. The cool air blew softly at our faces. The swings started to move on their own. I took the flower and held it in my hands, afraid it would blow away.
"I just do." That answer, from the very beginning it was said, irritated me. I could you just know, I wondered. You had to have facts.
"What is beautiful?" I had asked, hoping that gained a more positive response. She gazed up at the tree, whom was dancing with the wind. Her eyes were deep in thought and her face scrunched up slightly.
"Beauty is… well. Beauty is natural. Beauty comes in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Beauty is when you're faced with the ugliness of everything and you smile, hoping to make it better. Beauty is being yourself. It's hard to explain just exactly what beauty is, but it's also quite simple. Beauty is you, no matter who you might be."
I still didn't understand fully, but now I knew a basis to run with. Beauty was natural, she said. That meant Nature was beautiful. And she was right. Nature was also very diverse with shapes, colors, and sizes. Oh, and after a storm a rainbow would appear, so that was a smile to the ugliness. I still didn't know what it had to do with people though.
Eleven years later and I still don't know.
When I'm in the host club, Tamaki is also going on about beauty. I tune him out every time though. More important things were on my mind, like food, or a test. But he seemed to know what he was talking about. When he said it too girls, he always had an explanation to why he said it.
All the boys did.
Every day I hear Hikaru and Kaoru talk about which fabric is prettier with what design. Then they will tell me how much prettier I would be in their dresses. One time in art, I swore Kaoru painted me for a project titled "True Beauty". I had tried to paint a tree in bloom. Hikaru was goofing off that day and never did the assignment. I also see Hikaru staring at me in class, and I was told when boys do that, they think you're beautiful… At least that's what my dad said.
Kyoya-Sempai is always trying to recreate beauty for the club. I had gotten to the club early one day and got to see the way Kyoya-Sempai set everything up. He always had it just perfect for our guests. Nothing was out of place. It looked natural… if natural was building the entire Roman Empire in an old music room. I guess that means Kyoya thinks like my mom.
I believe Hunny-Sempai's form of beauty comes from his adoration. Everything he loves is beautiful. Mori-Sempai's is close if not the same. As people, we protect what's beautiful, and they protect what they love, so I guess that means what they love is beautiful. But what would that mean to the phrase "love is blind"? I believe I am over-thinking this.
I sigh as I finally reach the old music room. It had been a long Friday. There had been tests in every class, and the twins were not shy to yell out their complaints. There was also the fan group of girls that followed us everywhere. I know I have been a host for a year now, but they never cease to wear me out. There was also the problem with guys whom are jealous of my popularity among the girls. They are never a big threat, but they are a pain in my neck.
I was just ready to go home and go to sleep. But first I had to get through with the Host Club after class. Due to me wanting to go the library first, the twins went right on ahead to the club. I will not lie, walking to the club without them is boring and very quiet. It's funny how peace was all I wanted at first, and now it's a scary story.
As I walk in, the boys all greet me. I get the usual. Hugs from Hunny-Sempai. A twirl from Tamaki-Sempai. Saved and smiled at by Mori-Sempai. Forced to be seated in between the twins. Tamaki-Sempai's griping about me being forced to sit between the twins. The twins taunting at him about me sitting between them. And lastly a graceful nod from Kyoya-Sempai.
We had ten minutes before the club activities officially began, so Tamaki-Sempai was going through his "Presidential Affairs" on what we should do next time for cosplay, or dance party. Kyoya-Sempai typing away on his computer, probably recording what Tamaki-Sempai said, but probably not. Who knows what that guy is always typing.
Hunny-Sempai offers us all cake, but of course I am the one who get the Strawberry Cream. I guess he noticed my inattentive thank you, and got worried. He instantly sat in my lap, almost scaring me from the abrupt contact. This gained the attention of everyone.
"Haru-Chan, are you okay?" He asked giving me his wide and innocent eyes.
"You know, you have been…" Hikaru started from his placement on my right.
"Kind of distracted all day." Kaoru finished from my left.
"What's on your mind?" They asked in synchronized perfection.
"Nothing.." I said shaking my head.
"Nothing doesn't answer like that." Tamaki stated, pointing his finger at me. "Something's wrong, and I bet it has to do with those doppelgangers! Mommy, I told you our sons were a bad influence around our angel, but you insisted that I was wrong." He accused.
"No." Kyoya spoke without looking up from the screen. "I insisted that they were not my sons and we had no authority over what they or Haruhi does in their life." He said calmly.
The twins stuck their tongue out at Tamaki. It seemed that I was forgotten, but Hunny leaned up to me and spoke:
"Do you want to talk about it later?" He asked. I smiled gratefully at him and shook my head.
"I'm fine, really. I've just been thinking really hard on something."
"And what would that be?" Kyoya asked, finally looking up.
"Nothing. Its stupid."
"Haruhi, nothing you say is stupid." Tamaki said gently. "Tell us what's been haunting you today." I gazed at each of them before I sighed and nodded.
"What's beauty? What does it mean to have beauty, or to be beautiful?" I asked. To my surprise, none of them laughed. Even the twins started to truly think about it.
"That's easy." Kyoya stated. "It's perfection."
"It's abstract." Kaoru said.
"It's everything the world has to offer." Hikaru said next, thinking the deepest I had ever seen.
"It's the way light shines of dull surfaces to make life look more heavenly." Tamaki said with a proud smile as he tried to state something philosophical.
"It's everything that makes people smile." Hunny giggled from in my lap.
"It's you." My head snapped towards the owner of the deepest voice in the room. I wasn't the only one who looked at him either. All of our attentions were on him. A tinge of red adorned his face, but his eyes stayed on me. "You're beautiful, Haruhi, because you know who you are and who you want to be. You enchant all of us by your smile and your simple way of looking at the world. You make us smile, it is a light that shines on all of us to smile with you. You have everything the world has to offer in your beating heart. You're an abstract of perfection, because you know things are more than just concrete."
"You're beautiful, because you're you."
I hadn't noticed tears welling up in my eyes until now as they flowed freely down my cheeks. He must have thought wrong of my tears, because Mori instantly clenched his jaw and started to panic. He calmed when he saw me smile at him.
"That… that was beautiful. Thank you." His blush came back with a fierce revenge.
"You're right Takashi! Haru-Chan is gorgeous!" Hunny said kissing my cheek. It was my turn to blush after that and both of the twins following in suit.
"That was excellent way to put it. I couldn't have said it any better, Mori-Sempai." Kyoya complimented.
"Oh, Haruhi! You are beautiful! I'm sorry I didn't say it first!" Tamaki shrilled, coming towards me to swallow me in affection. As he fought with twins and Hunny over who would embrace me the most, I closed my eyes and took it all in.
As much as I was grateful to Mori-Sempai for his wonderful, small speech. I had to disagree. This club, my new family, the way all of our odd ends fitted together in perfect peace, the way we always had good time to wash away the bad, the way we could just be ourselves without worrying about the ridicule. Times like these, when we could just play around.
This was natural.
This was beauty.
Thank you so much for reading! I love to hear the feedback, bad and good ones are both accepted. Have a wonderful day, and just remember. Beauty is who you are, no matter whom you choose to be. ^.^