He had fallen hard and fast. Never before had he thought about the possibility of him falling in love. With a commoner, no less. Love was a foolish miscalculation on the part of humans. He had scoffed at the very mention of the word, and had broken none too many a heart. For he, Otori Kyoya, had thought himself nothing less than a god until now. The weight of his realization forced his shoulders to slag a bit, but his once constricted breathing was now steady. He knew his best friend was also in love with the girl, but she had turned him down as bluntly as she had entered their world. The eldest Hitachiin twin had at one point harbored feelings for her, but after the accident in Karuizawa he had realized it was nothing but brotherly affection. Haruhi Fujioka had managed to bring out the best- and worst- in all of them. It came as a shock to none but a disappointment to all when she announced she was leaving the host club. Éclair Tonnerre had paid her debt and she no longer had any reason to stay. Being who he was, he had calculated this and knew the losses would be more than just a friend. But never, never, had he expected to feel the loss as much as he did. He felt his cold facade drop, if for only a brief moment, when her name was mentioned in conversation. She understood him in a way that no one else could. She saw through the icy barrier he put up between himself and others. She never showed sympathy towards him; she drove him to do his best. He, Otori Kyoya, was completely and irrevocably in love with Fujioka Haruhi, and had no idea how to go about expressing it.
She wasn't dense so much as she was uninterested. She felt that putting up the front of naivety was much better than allowing herself to be sympathetic towards those who tried to win her. For she had a goal, unlike those at Ouran who were raised and conceived simply for the profit of their family's business. Although unsure of what her future would hold, she knew there was no bartering with time. At a young age, she had learned that even the most brilliant of minds will simply shut down, detach itself from reality and cease function. Time meant everything to the girl who had so little of it. While hoping to better herself and her schooling, she was thrown headfirst into the world of the rich and arrogant. It had never been her intention to break the vase, but life was always spiraling out of control and not even the wisest man on earth would be able to manipulate the outcome of every situation. During her time with the host club, she had realized one thing: no, not the cliche statement of "how valuable friendship is", or anything of the sort, but that she had much more to do to better herself. Her father worried about her, forever throwing herself headfirst into her work. At first, after her mother's untimely passing, she had used the work as a welcome distraction. Now, she used it to fill the void in her soul brought about by yet another untimely passing. And if she thought her life had been out of control before, this was going to turn her entire world upside down and tear it inside out. Even Haruhi Fujioka couldn't have been prepared for this twist of fate.
The morning of the funeral was dreary. So unlike his life, that she couldn't help but giggle. He would greatly disapprove of the somber mood of the day, and had he been there voice his blatant disgust for the foul procession. Even in death, she knew, he would be as flamboyant and extravagant as ever. The thought of her father and mother finally united after eight years brought a small smile to her face. He had changed after her death, as it had pained him to be without her. Yet he had managed to provide a home for her, his daughter, and she couldn't have asked for anything more. As she looked around, she was surprised to see six men in extravagant suits entering the temple, all wearing solemn expressions. Her surprised expression changed to one of irritation when the tall blonde noticed her and ran over, weeping, assuring her that "Daddy is here, you can cry if you need to." Emotions welling up in her threatened to escape, and she ran off without a word. By the time she had regained herself, the five other hosts had walked over to join their king, and the raven haired man was radiating an aura of pure evil as he spoke ever so calmly to the hysterical blonde, who was shouting something along the lines of "But mother, our daughter hates us!" She stood watching with but slight interest at the scene of chaos unfolding in front of her.
A/N: I'm not sure if you could really count this as a chapter. It's more of an introduction to the events in the story. It's a teaser of sorts, to catch your interest. Also, I'm sorry if some things appear unclear at this point. I promise it will better be made sense of when the first full chapter is uploaded (look out for an update on sunday or monday. February break, weeee.)