Hi! I have always loved Renge and was extremely disappointed that she wasn't in the anime more. This idea has been with me for awhile, so I thought I would just go with it! I might be taking a few liberties with plot, charcter, ect., so let me know if anything is too crazy- I want the characters to stay as in character as much as possible. That being said, I might make some of the characters a bit more mature as the fic goes on- I feel that they have a lot of potential. I'm working off the anime and some research I did so the sequencing of things might not be canon. Actually the whole situation is kind of AU, but please give it a chance!
Disclaimer: If only… But yep, don't own anything except for my ideas.
Ch.1 Crash
Her world changes in three cheerful rings of her cell phone.
She's playing one of her dating sim games (its summer break, so she can do whatever she likes) when her mobile goes off. Huffing in annoyance, she presses pause and glances down at the offending device. She doesn't recognize the number, but decides to answer anyway.
"Hello?" She says as she presses play on the controller in her hand, focused more on the game then whoever is calling her.
"Is this Miss Renge Houshakuji?" A deep voice asks.
The use of her full name should be a sign that something is wrong. "Yes, what do you want?" She responds curtly.
"My name is Pierre Ramon. I am a doctor at Mercy General Hospital in Paris, France. Your father was admitted two hours ago."
The phone nearly slips out of her grasp. The remote controller clatters to the floor as Renge tries to take in what Dr. Ramon just told her. "I-I'm sorry? Why are you contacting me?" She doesn't mean to sound cold but shouldn't someone else be contacted in this situation?
"It is imperative, Ms. Houshakuji, that you come in immediately." Dr. Ramon responds. "The situation is too delicate to discuss over the phone. When can you come in?"
Renge stares blankly at the screen in front of her. The cartoon character has stopped speaking, waiting for her response with an expectant look on his face. The options are blinking at the bottom of the screen. The dark room suddenly seems stifling.
"I'm in Japan." She finally chokes out. The absurdity of the situation has momentarily stunned her.
"Well, is there a way you can get to Paris? You really must be here. It isn't just your father's health that is a problem." Dr. Ramon answers.
So Renge hangs up the phone, asks her driver to bring her to the Houshakuji's private jet, and flies off to France. Granted, the journey surely wasn't that simple, but that's all she can recall through the blur.
When she arrives at the hospital a few hours later, she finds herself having to deal with a situation that she quite literally has never had to deal with before. When she gives her name at the reception desk, she's met with a raised eyebrow and pitied glance, then directed to another floor. The process repeats itself three times before Renge is ready to yell in frustration. Why won't someone just give her answers? Where is her father? The complete incompetence of the hospital staff and lack of recognition of the fact that hello, she's the daughter of a very wealthy businessman and better be treated as such only adds to her frustration. Finally she is directed to sit in a boring, impersonal waiting room on the fifth floor. The limp potted fern is the only sign of life in the quiet, deserted room. There is a stack of magazines on the glass table next to her, which she pages through with a detached interest. What is taking so long? What happened to her father?
She dozes off at some point, only to be startled awake by the entrance of a man. "Ms. Houshakuji?" He asks. She nods, standing up quickly.
"Where is my father? What's going on?" She demands harshly. She has been waiting for who knows how long, and wants answers now.
"If you'll follow me, Miss, I will take you to your father. Dr. Ramon will be there to talk to you."
Renge sighs inwardly and follows the man through the brightly lit corridors. The stark white of the walls provides no answer to her questions. Finally they arrive at the room her father is in. The man knocks softly at the door, then proceeds to enter.
Renge follows him, not quite knowing what to expect. What she sees shocks her. Her father is lying in a bed, various machines standing guard around him. His eyes are shut and the only movement she can detect is the shallow rise and fall of his chest. This is not her father. Her father is one of the most powerful businessmen in France. He should be up and doing- well whatever it was that rich powerful businessmen do, not lying pale and still in a hospital bed. This is wrong.
"Dr. Ramon." The voice jars her out of her shock. She looks up to see a tall gentleman holding his hand out for her to shake. "I'm sorry we called you in like this, but as I said, this matter really isn't appropriate to discuss over the phone." He adjusts his glasses. "Your father was brought in early today- he collapsed. We determined he had a heart attack- mildly severe, but nothing we couldn't handle. He has been unresponsive- we are hoping he will not descend into a coma."
"Why did he collapse?" Renge finally finds her voice.
"Oh, stress, shock. The news today certainly didn't help." Dr. Ramon responds.
"What news?" Renge asks sharply. Her father had been stressed? Why?
"You mean you don't know?" Dr. Reynolds gives her the same sympathetic look she's been receiving all day. He takes a deep breath.
"Your father's company went bankrupt."
Three months ago, her father made a poor business decision, Dr. Reynolds explains, that caused the price of the company's stock to plummet rapidly. Stock holders began to hurriedly sell off shares, causing the price of the stock to crash. Then today, her father had learned that he had made a deal with very fraudulent people, who had managed to gain access to the company's finances and wreak havoc. There was nothing left. The company, and her father's credibility, were in shreds.
Renge can't process what the doctor is saying at first- I'm poor now?- it's all too fantastical. Vaguely she wonders if someone is playing a sick joke on her- I'm a commoner? A commoner?- but the evidence Dr. Reynolds shows her is all too real. Her father's company has really gone under.
And the man lying before her in the hospital bed, who promised her the freedom to do whatever she wanted, can't do a thing about it.
The rest of the summer is a blur of lawsuits, settlements, and lawyers. Renge watches as her life is auctioned away- the furniture, the china dishes, her father's rare book collection- piece by piece as her father's lawyers scramble to pay off the debts her father now owes. In the course of a few weeks, Renge finds herself dragged from one end of the spectrum to the other- thrust into the life of a commoner.
Her father doesn't get better. He lies in a coma, oblivious to the world rushing around him. He is moved to a hospital in Japan, into a room that overlooks a river surrounded by cherry blossoms. Renge hates it- the vibrant pink flowers and sparkling water constantly mock her. Her time is divided between cold court houses, her apartment, and this little room. Outside, the birds chirp and the sun shines- inside her only companions are the fluorescent glow of the hospital lamps and the chirp of the life-sustaining machines attached to her father.
The posh apartment her father rented for her does nothing to comfort her- the lease terminates at the end of the summer and the lawyers inform her that there will not be enough money to continue paying the rent. They advise her to find a new, less expensive apartment and a job- Renge balks at their suggestion. A job? How base, how demeaning, how commoner-esq! But with her options running out Renge half-heartedly agrees to let one of the lawyers find a new apartment for her.
The only bright side to this whole situation is the fact that her father had the foresight to pay for her education, which means she can continue to attend Ouran Academy. Renge is quite happy about this- at least no one will question the 'sudden disappearance' of Houshakuji Renge she thinks, until she realizes that no one would miss her anyway. Except maybe the Host Club, but Renge isn't going to be betting on that anytime soon.
It's dealing with the school administration that makes her angry. She is told in no uncertain terms that the only reason she will be allowed to attend is that most of her school fees have been paid already. The board tells her that her fellow student body will not be made aware of her situation- a fact that she is eternally grateful for. She is already the odd one out- she doesn't need to be ostracized further. That was one of the reasons her father was moved to Japan- they didn't want anyone else to find out about their 'situation'. The last thing her father's PR team did for them was to keep the news of her father's company from spreading further. While the Host Club is accepting of Fujioka Haruhi's status, there still are a great many people who make fun of Haruhi. The school board was generous (and somewhat forced) in allowing Haruhi to attend- apparently one commoner is one commoner too many. And two? Well that would just cause uncontrollable backlash- or so Renge is told. (And Renge has nowhere near the grades Haruhi has.) Renge is secretly terrified of how the other kids would treat her if they found out she was poor. While some of them might be kind, most were downright nasty regarding commoners. They didn't understand, and neither had Renge. Key word had. (But that lesson is not easily learned in a few weeks. She still doesn't fully understand.)
She relapses once- one day she is walking down the street, sees a poster for the newest dating sim game and rushes to the mall- no harm in just looking, right? It is within the confines of the sparkling glass store windows and hip, techno music that Renge forgets all about her situation. Thing after thing is thrown into her basket. She relishes in the feel of buying things- until she goes to the checkout. The cashier rings up her items and accepts the platinum credit card Renge hands him, swipes it, and makes a face.
"I'm sorry miss…" he begins slowly.
"What is it?" Renge snaps, not used to being told 'sorry' at the checkout counter.
"Well, it's just that you can't buy these things." The man looks at her apologetically.
"Excuse me? Why not?" Renge's voice gets louder and shriller. She has never been told she can't have something- except for Otori Kyoya. But that doesn't count.
"Well, it's just…"
"What?" Renge shouts again, impatient.
"The account on this credit card has been terminated."
At once, everything comes rushing back. That's right, I'm poor. She realizes, her gut twisting. Embarrassment suddenly floods her system- a feeling that Renge is not used to feeling. She feels as if everyone in the store is staring at her, mocking her. "You can use another card if you like…" the cashier is speaking, but Renge turns away and rushes out of the store. Tears prick at her eyes and shame rolls through her, making her feel physically sick. She doesn't return to see her father that day. Instead, she sits on a park bench wrestling with self-pity and anger- at herself for forgetting, and at her father. Why? Why me of all people? The normalcy, the routine, all the carefully manicured boundaries of her life have been torn away, leaving her with absolutely nothing but a comatose parent and a huge secret.
Renge doesn't have a clue with how to deal with it. She has nothing, nowhere, no one to escape to.
And then the final week of summer arrives and it is time to return to Ouran Academy.
Please leave a review if you have time! I love feedback!