A/N: Okay, so this is my first anime-type manga fic. Please don't flame me if it's utterly awful, because I don't know much about… you know… anime stuff. So… yeah. But constructive criticism, or stuff like, actually, they wouldn't say "chan," it'd be "kun," or something like that would be much appreciated. Anyway. This was the first challenge of the 24 Hour Challenge between me and silverlastsforever. Basically we come up with a prompt or topic, and we have 24 hours to write it, or at least, until midnight. The prompt for this was: Kyoya-centric fic. Minimum 800 words, coffee must be involved. Anyway, enjoy. Please R&R.
Disclaimer: The characters are the creation of… the creator of Ouran High School Host Club, I guess.
Any Objections?
"You don't appear to have any customers; may I join you?"
Haruhi looked up at me with her big doe eyes. She blinked once, them smiled.
"Sure, I'd love the company. Can I get you something to drink, Kyoya-sempai?"
"Whatever you're having is fine."
I took a seat next to her as she handed me a drink. Instant coffee, the new "it," drink of the Host Club. I took a drink, then cupped my hands around the china.
"So what's up, Kyoya? Got anything on your mind?"
"Actually, yes. We have a few extra days off of school this weekend. I was wondering if you would like to spend some time with me on Saturday. Away from the host club."
"Away from the host club?" she raised her brows.
"Well, naturally, I'm sure the twins will want to visit your house again, and Tamaki won't let them go without him, and that will incur a whole group outing. I was wondering if you would like to spend some time with just me."
I delivered my entire speech looking at the opposite wall. Her doe eyes, trained on me, widened a little. I looked at her.
"Like… a date?" she asked. She sounded surprised.
"Sure," I pushed my glasses onto the bridge of my nose, "like a date. If that's what you'd like."
She smiled, a flattered, surprised smile.
"Yeah, I'd like that."
I arrived at her house at 11, like I had told her I would. I had always been one for promptness, always taking care of Tamaki and making sure he was on time for everything. Her father answered the door and gave me a winning smile. He approved of me, of course, not of the boss, but I had made sure that he had known who I was from almost the very beginning.
"Kyoya, good to see you again. Come in. How have you been?"
He bombarded me with questions as he ushered me in and offered me a seat. A few minutes later, Haruhi walked into the kitchen.
"Dad, quit harassing Kyoya. He calls you enough that you should know what's going on."
Haruhi looked… lovely. She was wearing a pink frilly dress, more than likely bought for her by her father. She had silver clips in her hair. She smiled at me.
"Come on Kyoya."
She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the apartment before her father could respond.
We reached the street, and she ha let go of my arm. I whished she hadn't.
"So what are your plans for today?" she asked of me.
"Well, I thought I'd take you out for lunch. Then we could go for a walk. Does that sound alright?"
"That sounds great. You know, I'm glad you asked me to spend time with you today, Kyoya. You always seem so serious at school. It's nice to be around you when you're relaxed."
I tried to keep myself from blushing. I'm not sure how successful I was though.
I took her to one of my favorite restaurants, nice but not overly fancy. It was a long lunch, a nice lunch. The lunch lasted so long because it took so long before we actually got around to eating our food. We talked, about all manner of things, except the host club.
She thanked me for lunch when we had finished eating, and then we went for a walk. It was a nice day; very sunny out, and we wandered around the square where the restaurant was. She smiled when she looked up at me.
"You know, Kyoya, I was kind of surprised when you asked me out today. I didn't think you seemed all that interested in me, and I didn't think Tamaki would be too happy with it."
"Actually, Tamaki doesn't know. But I've been interested in you for quite a while, and instead of making a fool of myself like the other three do, I thought I would ask you on a date an see what happens."
"Well, I'm actually pretty glad you did. You're a really nice guy, Kyoya."
She laced her arm through the crook of mine, a movement which left me taken aback. Haruhi wasn't an overly physical person. She wasn't afraid of contact, no, but she didn't use physicality to display her feelings.
I smiled.
I didn't have much time to spend with Haruhi. She was in the year under mine, and Tamaki and Hikaru and Kaoru liked to monopolize her time. But when we didn't have any girls to entertain, or when it was just us hosts in Music Room #3, I would sit with her and talk, and share a cup of coffee. We had gone on a few dates after the original one. I was drawn to her. I wouldn't admit it to anyone but her, but I liked her. I started courting her.
Unfortunately, Hikaru and Kaoru were more observant that I gave them credit for. I found myself followed by them, being badgered with questions, asking where I went in my free time, and what I did on weekends.
"You know, Kaoru," I overheard Hikaru say to his twin one day when the club had some free time, "I've noticed those two spending a lot of time together. What's up with that?"
"I don't know, Kaoru, but you have an excellent point. What do you say we go ask him?"
I saw the twins saunter over to me. The wedged themselves in between Haruhi and myself. I saw her roll her eyes at them. Hikaru threw his arm around me, and Kaoru threw his around Haruhi.
"So, Haruhi, what's up with you two? Every time we ask you what you're doing in your free time, or over the weekend, you say you're busy. And now you're always hanging out with each other. What's up?" Kaoru fixed her with a nosy stare.
"What do you mean? Who says something's up?" Haruhi shrugged off their question.
"You just seem to be spending a lot of time together. People would think something's going on. Soon you might start calling him 'Kyoya-kun.'"
"I do call him Kyoya-kun," Haruhi shrugged.
"What?" a voice screamed from across the room.
Tamaki practically flew over to us, coming out of nowhere like Renge from the floor and shoved his face in ours.
"Why are you calling him 'Kyoya-kun'? You're not that informal with me, Haruhi! Why are you closer to Kyoya than your own father?"
"Because you're not my father." Haruhi shrugged. Tamaki's face fell, and he receded into his emo corner.
Haruhi looked at me and raised her brows. I knew what she meant. I shrugged my shoulders.
"If you want," I responded.
"Actually, Kyoya and I have been dating," Haruhi stated simply.
Back Tamaki came from his emo corner, screaming again.
"What! I never gave you permission to date my little girl!" this was directed at me.
I stood and brushed past him.
"I didn't ask. It's not exactly your place to give permission," I attempted to walk away from him, but he followed me.
"Of course it's my place! She's my little girl!" Tamaki screamed, overly dramatic as usual.
"Enough!" Haruhi had risen from the couch. She marched over to Tamaki, "you're not my dad, and it's not your business who I date. This is exactly why we didn't tell you!"
That night when I returned home, my father called me into his office. I wasn't sure why. I arrived outside his office and he called me in.
"Ah, Kyoya, sit." He gestured to the seat opposite him. I complied.
"Kyoya, I wanted to let you know that I am seriously considering you for the successor to my company."
"Thank you, father, that's quite an honor."
"But first, you will need to be married. I have arranged a marriage between you and a woman I think will be very suitable for you."
"But father-"
"I don't want any objections. I have seriously considered this, and I have made my decision. That is all," he finished with a tone that indicated that he was through talking to me. I had heard that tone before.
I practically ran to my room. Pounding the keys on my phone, I hoped that Haruhi answered the phone quickly.
"Hello?"
"Haruhi we have a problem… wait. Fujyoka-sempai, hello. It's Kyoya Ooruri. May I speak with Haruhi?"
"Hello, Kyoya. No, I'm sorry, I'm afraid she's out."
"Out? Where?"
"With some of her friends from Lobelia."
The six of us sat outside St. Lobelia Academy. We were sitting on the ground, hidden from view of the security cameras.
"Okay, how are we going to get Haruhi out of there?" Tamaki had managed to find a map of Lobelia Academy, and was moving miniature figurines of us, who knows where he got those, across the map.
"You know, this seems really familiar," Hikaru commented.
"Yeah, it seems like we already rescued Haruhi from the Zuka club," Kaoru added.
"That's because we have," I said plainly.
"You know, after her dad helped us get her out last time, you would think that he would suspect it to be the Zuka club again this time," Hikaru shrugged.
I shrugged in response, "I think we should just sneak in like last time and get her back." I stated.
"You don't think Haru-chan is there because she wants to be, do you?" Hunny hugged usa-chan to him and looked at us with baleful eyes.
"No," Mori put in simply.
"There's no way Haruhi would leave us for the Zuka Club. We have to get her back!" Tamaki pounded his fist into his hand.
"Are we completely overlooking the fact that it was easy to sneak in last time when we pretended to be Benibara fans? Lets just do that again," once again I had to be the voice of reason.
"Excellent!" Tamaki pointed to the sky in triumph, "We'll sneak in amongst them and use them to discover what they want with Haruhi!"
Sneaking in was surprisingly easy. We just had to hide amongst the crowd of Benibara fans and pretend we liked her. Eventually we found Haruhi in one of their choir rooms… tied to a chair. We prized the window open and climbed in. She saw us and shuffled the chair over to us.
"Haru-chan, why are you tied to that chair?" Hunny asked.
"It was those crazy Zuka club girls! They shoved me in a car, brought me here, and when I said I wouldn't do another one of their shows, they tied me to this chair and left me here! I think they've gone completely insane!" Haruhi struggled in her chair. I moved around to the back of the chair and began loosening the bonds.
"Well, we're here now. The only problem will be smuggling you out." I stated.
"I've got it!" Tamaki shouted, "All we need is a burlap sack, a cart, and twelve pounds of potatoes!"
"As fascinating and ludicrous as I'm sure that plan would have been, we're surrounded by theatre costumes, and there is a production today. Let's just dress her up and pretend we're escorting her to the theatre. It'll be obvious if all of us go with her, so why don't you five just wait outside and I'll sneak her out?" I finished untying the bonds on Haruhi's wrists. She rubbed her tender wrists and stood up.
"Thanks," she smiled, "that sounds fine to me."
"Haruhi, you should wear this!" Hikaru held up an elaborate blue dress and a brown wig.
"What is it with you guys and frills?" Haruhi said as she seized the dress and marched into a changing room.
Ten minutes later, Haruhi emerged, covered in the stage makeup that would be needed to disguise her face, wearing the blue dress and wig. Had it not been for the necessary overuse of stage makeup, she would have looked absolutely lovely. Mori and Hunny had departed a few minutes earlier. We had arranged a conference call between our cell phones, and we would be leaving at intervals with the other hosts acting as lookouts. Tamaki had roughly the same reaction as when he saw her on stage the first time the Zuka Club kidnapped her; total shock. Knowing that he would not recuperate for a while, I shoved him out the door to keep lookout. A few minutes later we left.
The whole, "operation," as the twins insisted on calling it, as if we were spies, went surprisingly well. Until the end. Tamaki forgot to keep us notified and we ended up almost running into Benibara herself. We had to double back and then sprint clear across campus.
We met out front, and I shoved Haruhi into the twins' limo, where everyone else was waiting. Slamming the door shut, Hikaru commanded the driver to go, and we took off at top speed. All of us sighed.
"Thanks guys. Those Zuka Club girls just don't take no for an answer," Haruhi said, stripping the dress off, still wearing her clothes from before underneath.
"You know, Kyoya, your determination to rescue Haruhi really moved me. I am giving you permission to date my little girl."
Tamaki held out his hand to me.
Haruhi rolled her eyes, but I thought I would go along with what he was saying for once.
"Thanks, Tamaki. I'm very honored. I just with my father would do the same."
"What?" Haruhi asked.
"That's what I was calling to tell you about. My father told me that I'll probably get the family company."
"That's great!" Haruhi exclaimed.
"But I have to have an arranged marriage."
"That's not fair. He can't hold the company over your head like that!"
"Well, technically, I own the company."
"Still. That's not fair. We're going to go talk to your dad right now!"
"Are you sure you don't want to clean that off first?" I gestured at the makeup.
"Oh, right."
After she had removed the makeup and the wig, we went to my house. I lead her through the house and barely waited for a reply before she shoved me through the door into my father's study.
"Hello, Kyoya." My father greeted me… kindly, "Hello Haruhi. We were just discussing any possible terms."
I knew he meant terms of the marriage.
"Father, Haruhi just made an excellent point. I own the company, and you can't just dangle it over my head and insist I get married to someone I've never met."
"Kyoya, what are you talking about? Did you not notice who I was talking to?"
I saw the man sitting opposite my father at his desk. He turned around. It was Haruhi's father.
"Oh," Haruhi and I gasped at the same time.
"Now," My father smirked as if he knew the lengths of Haruhi's and my relationship, which he probably did, "do you still have any objections?"
"No," I blinked at him, "Not at all."