Oof. Enjoy.
I sat on my bed, Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" playing as I carefully studied from my politics textbook. It was like this every night, sitting alone in my room and studying, with the exception of when my parents were hosting a business dinner. On those days, I would go downstairs and suck up to whatever important rich guy was currently visiting. Mitsuko, my sister, was not welcome to those meetings, as my father didn't want her embarrassing the "family name." It's not like she would come either way; she was a bit of a free spirit, with wild black hair and bright green eyes. She was always off doing something rebellious- anything other than following the rules. I, on the other hand, had to be perfect at all times. I didn't have the choice; as the heir to a multimillion dollar company I needed to be the best I could possibly be.
It's not like our business was particularly interesting, we made foam peanuts for boxes, but apparently people loved the little Styrofoam bits of moving material, because we were insanely rich. I actually wasn't supposed to be the first in line to owning the business, but due to my sister's actions, my father had declared me the heir. Now all I had to do was keep being the ideal student, and I was destined to be the next CEO of "Katsuhida's Packing Peanuts."
Of course I had other dreams in life, but none of those mattered. All that was important at the moment was maintaining my grades and social status; no clubs, no fooling around, and absolutely no boys. I knew from experience that relationships were nothing but trouble, and there was no such thing as true love. Besides, I had much better things to worry about, like making sure I built the right business connections with the right people.
"Yo Shiori, dad said he needs ya." Mitsuko stuck her head through the crack in the door, long black hair falling around her in a tangled mess. I always kept my appearance neat and orderly, not one stray hair out of place, and made sure that my vivid red curls didn't frizz up. The key to success was looking your best, even though it was exceptionally harder for me than it was for everyone else. You see, my mother was pure Irish, with unruly scarlet hair and bright emerald eyes, plus a heavy dusting of freckles across her ivory skin. Sadly, I looked just like her. I much rather would have taken after my father, who had stony black eyes and straight hair- he looked professional.
"Did he happen to tell you why?" I inquired lazily, not looking up from my textbook.
"I don't know ya lousy book worm, find out yourself." She turned away, and I heard her footsteps starting to disappear down the hall. This didn't stop her from yelling "By the way, your music sucks!"
I sighed, gracefully swinging both legs over the side of my bed and standing up. Uncultured jerk, I thought, she wouldn't know good music if it slapped her upside the head. Sauntering down the hall, I stopped when I made it to the big mahogany doors to my Father's office. I honestly had no idea what he wanted, and as far as I knew, I hadn't done anything wrong. There were two possible outcomes for what was about to happen next: he was either gonna give me really good news, or REALLY bad news. Gingerly, I turned the silver knob and pushed the door open. I took a seat in a leather chair in the corner, crossing my legs in front of me and putting on a straight face.
"Good day to you Shiori, I assumed you've been studying for you exams?" He asked, no sign of interest in his tone.
"Yes father." I replied with a steady voice, looking right into his dark eyes. Most people were scared of my father, but I wasn't, as fear would only make it harder for me to become heir. A strong person has no fears.
"Very good, as expected from you." He paused. "I have a very important task for you, and I need it completed as soon as possible."
"What do you wish of me?" I questioned, wondering what in the world I had to do this time. It was as if didn't do enough already.
"I'm aware that Ootori Kyoya, the son of one of our most powerful business partners, is in your class. I want you to become acquainted with him, as it will do us well for you two to be friends. Is that understood?" With no other option, I shook my head in response. "Good. Now you may be excused."
I stood from up from the chair and walked out the door, not letting up my perfect facade until I was finally back in the privacy in my own bedroom. In all honesty, I couldn't have been more annoyed, but I didn't want to let my aggravation show. I mean, seriously? Kyoya Otori, of all freaking people?! He was a god dang host, and there was no way in hell that I wanted to be friends with him. I guess it could be worse, he could want me to be friends with Suoh, or even those devilish Hitachiins. At least Ootori-San has some common sense.
You see, the hosts were not only the most attractive and popular boys in school, they were also the most affluent, and there was no way I wanted anything to do with any of them. They were too pretty boy- too phony. Besides, what kind of girl would like a guy who spends his time flirting with other girls for fun (and a fee)? I'd never actually been inside of music room three, and I wanted to keep it that way. Even with all of my friends desperate attempts to get me to simply talk to a host, I wouldn't budge, because it was a waste of time and money.
"Come on Shio-chan! You're always so uptight. Maybe you should take a break from work and loosen up a bit..." My closest friends, Ami and Mao, had pleaded. Ami batted those long, gorgeous eyelashes at me, but I still stood my ground. "please! One look at Tamaki-senpai and you'll fall absolutely in love, I just know it!"
"No." I'd simply stated, looking down at my notes. "They're just a bunch of boys anyways, I don't see the appeal."
Mao sighed, those honey colored eyes showing how obviously annoyed she'd been. "I wish you would just let yourself have fun for once. At this rate you'll end up alone on your death bed and realize that you were to busy working to ever have lived!"
"I'm sorry guys. Maybe some other time," I'd sighed. "I really have to study."
If only they understood why I worked so hard all of the time, if only they knew that I held a weight on my shoulder that they would never have to carry. Being females, those two had barely any chance of ever being heir to their family's business, and were probably just going to end up getting an arranged marriage to some filthy rich CEO. They wouldn't have to work a day in their life. I had no immediate male relatives though, other than my father of course, so I was going to end up with the weight of a multimillion dollar company on my shoulders. With the way business men looked at women, as though they were inferior, I would have to work a thousand times harder to prove myself. I hated that women were looked down upon in society, and I wanted to change that. I needed to be stronger and more eligible than any other man would be for my position. Until I reached the top, until I'd beaten every single person in my trade, I would not stop. I wanted all or nothing, illogically, irrationally, even though something inside of me knew that nothing would be too hard, and all was impossible
The next morning
Standing in front of my large bathroom mirror, I pulled my thick red locks back into a bun, gelling down any flyaways. I then carefully adjusted the pink bow on my yellow uniform, ignoring the fact that the dress was impossibly ugly. Looking neat and orderly was a part of being neat and orderly, and wearing that fluffy dress was a necessary evil. Making sure that there were no hiccups in my appearance, I ended up trying to hide my freckles, but soon realized that all of the powder in the world couldn't cover the blemishes. "Stupid freaking dots of evil, why did I have to inherit you?!" I cursed to myself. People were constantly staring at me in awe, as it wasn't everyday you saw a ginger Japanese girl.
"Ya talking to yourself again, weirdo?" Mitsuko showed up behind me, causing me to jump. I never knew how she managed to randomly appear everyone, but it kind of freaked me out.
"Just remembering how much I hate the way I look." I sighed in defeat, taking in her dark hair and flawless skin. She looked mainly like my dad, minus the green eyes, but they really just made her look more exotic. It pissed me off that she could get such good DNA and not even care. "Do you wanna just trade appearances?"
"I would if I could." She chuckled, a smirk appearing across her features. "You don't realized how lucky you are to look like her. She was beautiful, and so are you. Just because it doesn't match your whole perfect goal, doesn't mean it's ugly, just unique."
"You wouldn't be saying that if you had to deal with these curls." I sighed, refusing to believe that I was actually attractive. I mean, I knew that I wasn't horrible looking, but I was nothing more than average. "Now if you'd excuse me, I need to go to school, because some of us actually enjoy getting a proper education." I joked, shuffling past her out of the room.
"Yeah yeah yeah you uptight workaholic, at least I know how to have a good time." She called after me, and I actually felt myself start to smile. She was the third person to have told me that in the last week. Maybe I wasn't the ideal definition of fun, but I was reliable and could hold up my side of a deal, and that was all that mattered... right?
When I finally got to class, I sat down at my regular seat by the window. Ami immediately made a quick beeline towards my desk, a look in those dark showing me that she had something she wanted to tell me. I knew the girl well enough that I could read her expressions, which wasn't quite surprising, seeing as how I'd been her friend since grade school. Today she was obviously happy. "Shio-chan! I have excellent news!" She grinned, baring her perfectly straight, white teeth. I'd always marveled over the girl's astounding beauty, but it was times like these when her natural good looks really shown through. "I'm throwing a huge 16th birthday party, and the whole host club is coming!"
"How'd you manage that?" I quirked my brow at her, looking up from my Calculus textbook.
"I payed them a crap ton of money," She laughed, flipping her raven hair behind her shoulder. "but that's beside the point. All that matters is that freaking Suoh is going to be at my party!"
"Did somebody say my name?" That oh so familiar voice came from behind us, causing me to groan. Tamaki Suoh had been in my class since he first came to Japan in middle school, along with that blasted Kyoya Ootori, and every time they walked in the room a group of fangirls broke out into giggles (Mao and Ami included)
I watched as the blonde sauntered over, his violet eyes sparkling in the sunlight. I admit that he was good looking, but DEFINITELY not my type- he was too much of an idiot. He bent down and kissed Ami's hand tenderly. "I can't wait to celebrate your birthday, princess. Your beauty makes all of the stars in the heavens look dull."
I rolled my eyes at his sign of affection, as I'd seen him use the same exact thing on a thousand other girls. I honestly didn't see what other girls saw in him. Then again, I wasn't like other girls, in the fact that I really wasn't interested in romance. I'd tried it once, and it didn't really work out, so I just came to the conclusion that love wasn't for me. As Mao always told me, "you're gonna die a lonely old cat woman."
Yet when I looked up from my textbook, the ever so famous shadow king was staring right at me with those steely eyes. I just sat there looking back for a second, before remembering that I had to try and become his friend. Grudgingly, I asked. "What do you want?" (Note: her social skills aren't exactly great)
"I am not in need of anything, Ms. Katsuhida. I was just surprised at your reaction to Tamaki; if I remember correctly, you rolled your eyes." He questioned lazily, as though talking to me was a waste of time.
"Why yes, I did." I sighed, forcing a smile. "How very observant of you."
"Hmm... what seems to be the problem with him?" He said, looking down at that little notebook that he always seemed to be writing in.
"Nothing really, I just don't particularly care for romance." I replied casually. "Besides, I don't really understand how paying a host to treat you special is supposed to be fulfilling. I guess I'm just weird though, because everyone else seems to thoroughly enjoy being flirted with, even if it is for a price."
"That's an interesting opinion, in it's own way." He smirked, a hint of amusement lacing his tone.
"That doesn't mean I think that a host club is a stupid idea," I looked out of the window, observing a few students walking around in there sky blue blazers and yellow dresses. "just that it isn't my cup of tea. I actually find it quite impressive that you guys manage to make so much money by simply using your looks."
"Simply using our looks?" He chuckled dryly, as though what I said was humorous. "There seems to be a lot that you don't understand, Ms. Katsuhida. Maybe you should come by the club sometimes, since your friends Mao and Ami are regular visitors, it wouldn't hurt to try."
"Maybe, but I do have a lot of work to do. What with maintaining business relationships and keeping my grades up, I simply don't have time for recreational activities." I turned to look him straight in the eyes. "You of all people should understand."
"I do understand, and perhaps you might pass me as top student with a work ethic like that. That is, if I allowed it." He let a half-smirk grace his features, and I couldn't help but to think that he was one of the most egotistical people I've ever met. Calm down, Shiori, you need to be nice. Flawless appearance and manners are what matter most. You are a Katsuhida, and you need to respect the name you were born under. Now calm down and try to make friends.
"Thanks for the semi-compliment, Ootori. Now if you would excuse me, I must get back to studying, if I ever want to usurp your title as top student." I turned my attention back down to my textbook, trying to concentrate on the words on the page in front of me.
*A few hours later*
Mao sat in the seat across from me, a look of anticipation on her face as she patiently waited for the bell to ring. She was tall and willowy, elegant in a way that not many others were. For three hours a day since she was old enough to walk she'd attended ballet class, which suited her name quite well, as she spelled it with the character for "Dance." Everything about the girl screamed grace, from her short curtain of brunette hair to the way she carried herself; she seemed to be the picture perfect example of a sophisticated young woman. Until she opened her mouth, that is.
"Shio-Chan, get you nose out of that book and look at me!" She demanded, irritation laced in her voice. She was a control freak, no way around it, but I liked that about her- she kept me on my toes. "You absolutely need to come to the host club with us today. If not for yourself, than for Ami. She's worried that you're overworking yourself, and she wants nothing more than to see you have fun. At least pretend like you're enjoying yourself, just this once, and I'll never ask you to come again."
"I may be a bit stone hearted sometimes, but I am not a bad friend, and you know that." I sighed, closing my textbook and looking straight into her amber eyes. "I'll come, if it'll really make you guys that happy."
Ok, I partially agreed only due to my father's orders, but I did mean it- I didn't like to see either of them upset. We'd been friends since the first time we met back in pre-k, and they were honestly more like sisters to me than anything else. Besides, this would give me a great time to become better acquainted with Ootori, and then I would never have to talk to him again. I was killing two birds with one stone.
"Come on then, let's go!" Mao grabbed my hand, dragging me out of the classroom as the bell rang. "Ami-Chan should be waiting for us outside the music room. Oh man, she's gonna be so happy when she finds out that you're actually coming with us!" She smiled, and she couldn't have been more right.
"Katsuhida Shiori, is that really you?" The raven haired girl exclaimed in excitement, a dumbfounded expression crossing her features.
"I'm afraid it is, my dear friend. Besides, I do happen to be the only ginger to ever walk these great halls." I chuckled. "Is it really that shocking for me to attend recreational activities with my two best friends?"
"Of course it is! You've never anything like this before, and everytime you hang out with us you have a book." She squealed happily, wrapping her arms around me and hugging me tightly. "I'm so proud of you."
"Enough of the theatrics, let's get going. I have some thing I need to discuss with Haruhi-senpai." Mao sighed, opening the door to music room three.
"Welcome."
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