"Hey!" Momoshiro waved at the Seigaku regulars as they stood in a group on the tennis court. "Great news, guys!"
"What is it?" Fuji asked.
Coach Ryuzaki was close behind Momoshiro, she smiled at her team. "Our request to use the elite facilities at Ouran High School was accepted."
"Ouran High School?" Eiji frowned.
"Isn't that private school for the children of wealthy families?" Oishi stared at the coach. "I hear their tennis courts are top-notch and their training facilities are even better."
"That so?" Ryoma mused, taking a sip of his drink. "I wonder why they're allowing us to use them then."
"Well," Momoshiro laughed uneasily, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's…the thing…"
"What is it?" Tezuka's eyes narrowed.
"Well…um, in return for a day of using their courts, they said they didn't need any money. But they said if we helped out in someone else's club then we could use the courts for free!"
"Generous, indeed." Inui mused.
"Ha! Well, that seems simple enough!" Eiji grinned.
Ryuzaki caught sight of Sakuno walking across the court. "Sakuno!"
"Er, yes?" Sakuno spun round, startled.
"We're going on a little trip. There's room for one more in the coach."
"I don't see why that's necessary." Tezuka muttered.
"You kidding?" Eiji grinned. "Where would we be without our roadie?"
Sakuno went pink.
"Hn." Was Ryoma's input.
"Fshhh," Kaidoh said. "I have a bad feeling about this."
xxx
"Alright!" Tamaki leapt on the couch, holding up his fist. "Listen up, men! We have a new very important mission to complete!"
"Yes, boss!" The twins saluted.
"I just cleaned those cushions," Haruhi said. "Please don't leap on them, Sempai."
"What is it, Tama-chan?" Hunny asked.
"The principal had specially asked a favor from this club- as he recognizes our talent and skill-"
"It's got nothing to do with the fact that he's your dad and you're cheap labor, I suppose?" Haruhi muttered.
"A tennis club from Seigaku are coming over to Ouran and the principal wanted them to help out at a club and for the club to make them feel welcome at the school. And guess what club he chose?"
"I'm dying to find out." Haruhi said.
"Our club, Haruhi!" Tamaki beamed. "And don't be sarcastic- daddy doesn't like it."
"Why us, I wonder?" Kyoya- who had already known about this, but had chosen to give Tamaki his moment- now came forward. "What use would a tennis club be to us?"
"I told you," Haruhi said. "It doesn't matter; they're just using us because they knew that Tamaki wouldn't refu-"
"I have a suspicion!" Tamaki announced. "I bet this is a women's tennis club and we're meant to entertain them!"
"Yay, more ladies to eat cake with!" Hunny beamed.
"I don't think you can make assumptions like that, Sempai." Haruhi frowned.
"Oh come now, Haruhi," Tamaki put an arm around her shoulders. "When have I ever been wrong?"
Haruhi snorted, Hunny began counting on his fingers and the twins glanced at each other.
"Would you like us to go in alphabetical order, boss?"
"Anyway," Tamaki moved on swiftly. "I'm thinking we should clear this place up and get it ready for our guests! Even if they are commoners, the poor are always welcome in our club. Right, Haruhi?"
"And then you never let them leave." Haruhi muttered.
"What was that, Haruhi?" Kyoya's voice warned.
"Nothing…"
xxx
"Whoa, this place is awesome!" Eiji stared out of the window at the full view of Ouran standing proud against the early sunlight, surrounded by a small orchard of trees.
"The girls all have such pretty dresses on!" Sakuno smiled. She looked at Ryoma. "Don't you think so, Ryoma-kun?"
"I guess." Ryoma replied, not even glancing out of the window.
Sakuno fell silent.
He had been cold and distant to her for a while now and she had no idea what she had said or done to cause this reaction.
The Seigaku coach parked outside the school and the regulars got out.
"So," Oishi said as they walked towards the building. "Did they say what club we'd be helping out at?"
"Well," Tezuka looked at the letter they had sent. "They're sending us to a music room, so…"
"Er," Sakuno said. "Can anyone here actually play an instrument?"
Silence.
"Ah." Sakuno sighed. "Well…I'm sure they won't mind."
"Why are you here anyway?" Ryoma said suddenly and Sakuno looked at him, startled by the abrupt harshness of his voice.
"I…"
"Ochibi!" Eiji scolded. "That is no way to talk to the girl that everyone knows you'll end up with!"
"He's right; don't be mean to Sakuno-chan!" Momoshiro glared at him.
"Whatever." Ryoma muttered and walked on. "I'm just saying: if all she's going to do is cheer from the sidelines then we don't really need her."
As the tennis club resumed snapping at him for his bad manners, Sakuno felt a wave of hopelessness rise up in her.
Would he ever understand why exactly she went to see every damn tennis match?
And more importantly, did she care anymore?
Sakuno made the decision to stay until the tennis club had settled into their new surroundings and then find a way out of here.
She made that decision just as they reached Music Room 3.
Fuji opened the door and they all stared as rose petals wafted out of nowhere.
Sakuno's mouth dropped open.
A group of incredibly handsome boys in tennis kits were standing there, smiling at them.
"Welcome!" They said.
xxx
There was a long silence as the two groups surveyed each other.
"I think we have the wrong room." Inui said.
"I think you do too." Tamaki said shortly, annoyed that they had wasted perfectly good rose petals on a group of guys.
"No, Sempai." Haruhi pointed. "Look at their uniforms- they say 'Seigaku'."
"B-but!" Hikaru protested.
"They're men!" Kaoru finished.
"True." Conceded Fuji with a smile.
"Apart from that one." Kyoya pointed to Sakuno, still in shock in the background.
Tamaki was on it in an instant.
"Pardon my rudeness, my angel," With speed twice that of light or sound, he was in front of Sakuno, on one knee, holding a rose. "I was just so stunned by your beauty that I convinced myself you were a figment of my imagination."
Ryoma's eyes narrowed.
"I still hope we have the wrong room." Inui said.
"Fshhh," Kaidoh glared round, it was a bit too unnervingly shiny for his taste. "What kind of place is this?"
"Why do you make that noise?" Hunny asked.
"What noise?" Kaidoh glared at him.
"That snakey noise!" Hunny grinned. "Aww, that's cute! You sound like a little snakey!"
Kaidoh went red.
"Isn't he cute, Takashi?" Hunny turned to Mori.
"Yeah." Mori said.
"I'm not cute!" Kaidoh snapped.
"Excuse me," Tezuka interrupted the long confession of love that Tamaki was currently making to Sakuno. "But is this the club that we're supposed to be helping out at?"
"You betcha it is!" Hikaru zoomed forward.
"It's the host club!" Kaoru grinned at them.
"The…" Oishi went pale.
"What?" Inui was checking his data to figure out how they had stumbled into this alternate reality.
"Hmm," Eiji mused. "A host club…I'm strangely okay with this."
"Betcha can't guess what our 'pull' is!" Hikaru winked at Tezuka.
"'Pull'?" Tezuka blinked at him. "Some kind of…drop shot?"
"Nah, dude!" Hikaru said.
"It's what the ladies like us for." Kaoru pressed himself against Hikaru.
Hikaru cupped his chin and moved close enough for a kiss.
"Twincest." They said together.
"T-twin…" Tezuka gaped; he had never been in a place so utterly foreign to him.
"I apologize in advance for the things these two will say." Haruhi pointed to the twins.
"Let's go," Ryoma finally spoke, he reached out and pulled Sakuno away from Tamaki's advances. "I've seen enough. It's not worth using the courts if we have to put up with this."
"Going somewhere, little one?" Tamaki enquired.
At the 'little one' remark, Ryoma twitched, but he faced Tamaki head-on, staring him down with his cat-like amber-brown eyes.
What he didn't know, unfortunately, was that, after years of ice-cold comments from Haruhi, Tamaki was pretty much immune to any kind of hostility.
The blonde playboy winked at him. "You've already agreed to help out, haven't you?"
"I…guess that's true…" Momoshiro murmured.
"We don't have the skills to work in a host club." Tezuka said and Hunny tugged at his sleeve.
"Don't worry! We'll help you!"
"All you need are those pretty faces!" The twins winked at Kaidoh, who recoiled into a corner.
"God, it's like spending the day with Keigo Atobe." Eiji muttered.
"Like I said," Ryoma told them. "Let's go."
"No." Sakuno spoke up and they all turned to stare at her, but she was only looking directly at Ryoma. "You signed up for this, but now you're just going to back out? Because you might be forced to treat a woman like a human being?"
She was aware she was getting a little het up, but she really couldn't care less.
She pulled away from him. "I like it here. You can go if you want."
It had taken all her courage to say such a thing to him and now Ryoma stared at her, almost uncomprehending.
"Well said, my lady." Tamaki patted Sakuno's shoulder. "Now, listen up! You Seigaku regulars! Once you've proven yourself to be the best hosts you can be- then you can play in our courts. Better yet! We'll give you a pass to use our facilities whenever you like! But that's on the condition that you train under the host club!"
The regulars looked at each other, weighing their options.
"Well," Fuji said eventually. "I don't think that those are unreasonable terms."
"You're…kidding, right?" Momoshiro stared at him.
"And one more thing!" Tamaki continued. "Once your training is over, you have to convince this lady," He patted Sakuno's arm. "That you're a good host by having an appointment with her."
Sakuno went scarlet.
"Hmm," Eiji said. "Still okay with this."
"You're not helping!" Oishi snapped.
"Fine."
This statement came from a very unexpected source.
Ryoma had his arms folded and was looking directly at Sakuno.
"That's what I have to do? Fine, then. Let's do it."
"Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno stared at him.
"Huh." Inui scribbled on his clipboard. "I need to record the moment when Echizen finally grew up."
"Ha!" Tamaki said. "You don't know what you're in for! If you're going to train to be the best then you're going to have to out-host me and I'm afraid that's impossible!"
Ryoma smiled at Tamaki from under the brim of his cap. "Mada mada dane." He said.