Rendezvous Point

Chapter One: The Hotel Call

Marseilles, France: Tamaki Suoh


The last thing he was expecting that day was to get a phone call. Don't get him wrong, he was a very sociable person, even after all these years, but this specific phone call threw him completely off balance. It was just one of those phenomenons that slapped you in the face at the most inconvenient time; it was a good thing he was always prepared to take on such challenges with class and humor. It was the way he was brought up, and just like riding a bike, he could never forget how to be a gentleman. In spite of everything, he was a Suoh; it was in his blood.

The blond male sighed happily as he finished his water in one long gulp. His early morning workouts exhausted him, but they were worth every sweat, because he knew that they also helped to alleviate his stress. Being the CEO of a big time Hotel and Vacation Vista chain did that to a person sometimes; it may have sounded like an extravagant, easygoing job, but that was far from the truth. Who knew that helping people relax could make you so strained? Oh well, he loved his job regardless of the hassle that it brought him. That's why, with a heavy heart he had accepted the forced vacation time that his employees had given him.

"You work too hard Suoh" they'd complain, and no matter how many times he tried to assure them otherwise, they still wouldn't budge.

"When is the last time you took a break?" He honestly couldn't remember, but that wasn't the important, because he didn't need a break. He was fine!

"Now go on and take a couple weeks off" his assistant Pierre argued, Tamaki couldn't help but smile at the thought of his ever troubled face. "You still have all of your holiday days accumulated, and if you don't stop working soon you might collapse. Or worse…we could get sued."

He chuckled now as he stood alone in his hotel room; he knew very well that Pierre said it as a joke, but deep inside he was being serious. "Ah, stop it you idiot" he scorned himself when he came to realize that his mind had traveled back to work. "You really are just a mess aren't you?" The man, now in his mid-twenties, glanced at himself in the mirror and scrutinized his own reflection. He hadn't changed much since his high school days, his indigo colored orbs still held their boyish resilience, their shine only helped to accentuate the color of his golden hair. He had cut it slightly shorter, and now it was styled back almost all of the time due to business formalities. The minute alteration had changed the essence of his once young face, and now his jawline and facial structure were of a man's.

"Hmmm, I could use a shower" he began to reason, smelling his sweaty shirt for confirmation; it reeked of salt mixed with his new cologne. "Yup definitely. Then I could probably check out the new bar they installed in the club, maybe even see if they received the new drinks that were pre-ordered a while back – no I'm here on break. What I meant to say was I'll go have a couple of drinks, and see if I can unwind. Yeah that's it." His hand went up to brush through his blonde locks, and this time he sighed unpleasantly. Deciding that it would do no good to stall, he finally stripped off his shirt and went to go pick up his toothbrush. Brushing his teeth in the shower was just one of his many time conserving hobbies.

That's when he received the call. Suoh didn't know it yet, but if he had never answered that phone to begin with, if he had just let it go to voice mail, then his life would have never changed. He wouldn't have to deal with the drastic turns that were coming his way, or the burning emotions that would keep him up at night. Sadly enough for him though, he had no idea what was about to happen.

Tamaki's vision turned from the running shower to the ringing phone. His mouth bowed downwards ever so slightly in wonder, for he knew very well that only a handful of people were informed of his hotel stay. 'Nah I shouldn't get it, I'm on vacation. I just need to let it go to voicemail and maybe check it later. Who knows, I might even answer back once I get out of the bar. That is, if I'm not having too much fun' that last part was purely sarcastic. His eyebrows furrowed 'But what if it's Pierre calling? What if there's been an emergency in the company?' His fingers twitched 'Then I should get it. What type of an example would I be if I just let this possible hazard go without checking? No-no, I can't ignore this.' Finally he gave into his need and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Is there a Tamaki Suoh present that I may speak with?"

He was surprised to hear Japanese at the other end of the line. He hadn't received a call from there in ages, and it took him a second to compose himself as he tried to switch from French to the Asian language. It was difficult at first, but soon enough the memories of it came back once again to form a decent sentence.

"Yes this is he. Who's calling?"

It certainly didn't sound like anyone from work; nevertheless, the tone of voice was highly familiar.

"Tamaki? Is that really you? Oh my word I didn't even recognize your voice!"

It was true; the male's voice had also altered over the years, becoming much deeper but without losing its eloquent charm, this wasn't because of hormonal reasons moreover it had come through years of serious discussions with important clients; after some time he just got used to speaking that way. His mind raced to pinpoint a name to the voice that felt so oddly familiar. Gosh it was killing him to not know who this was!

"Yes, thank you I suppose? It really is me" he decided it'd be best to avoid the topic of asking her name. Sooner or later she'd have to mention it, and then he'd swoop in and say that he had known it all along. It was genius.

There was a pause at the other end of the line.

"You don't know who this is, do you?"

There went the genius plan, right out the window.

Tamaki let out a laugh "You got me. I confess I have no idea who this is. Well, I do actually it's just I can't quite remember your name. Sorry my love it's nothing personal it's just the mind's a little rusty. Care to humor me?"

The female exhaled in an almost annoyed manner, and Suoh could have sworn he had heard that same sigh about a million times before. Perhaps he had heard it in a previous life? There was a good enough chance that he had reincarnated from a lowly Japanese farm worker who had a mother-in-law that was hard to please. He always thought about things like that.

"It's Nakashima, Hisayo."

Then it hit him. Not subtly hit him, like a softball might when you're playing kickball, but it hit him hard like a car crashing in through a house and pinning you against the wall, resulting in a three day coma. That type of hit.

"OOOOHHHHHHH" He wasn't aware that his loud epiphany had made the girl cringe at the other end of the phone.

It all came back now, and he felt more than foolish for his confusion. How could he forget the woman that completely destroyed him?

"Hisa-sempai, it's good to hear from you again" he genuinely smiled and leaned his toned forearm against the table. "How many years has it been, like seven maybe?" That seemed an appropriate number.

"Yes it has been."

"Oh wow, I can't even believe it. So how have you been doing all these years?"

They had a pleasant tête-à-tête, conversing over the basics of life like the weather, their jobs, and recent events that had occurred. He wasn't at all surprised when he heard that the young woman was now the chairman to a large financial business, much bigger than anything he could ever run. She was always outmatching him it seemed. He was also not shocked to hear she was single, but then again…so was he. He could almost hear the chalk board inside of his mind tally one up for the female yet again. How many points had he won? He had too little to recall.

When all of the small talk had been thoroughly dealt with, Tamaki decided to get to the point. Hisayo never called to just "catch up" and he knew her too well by now to figure that she had dialed for a much greater purpose. Maybe she wanted money? Nah, she was probably making more than he ever would see in a life time. Maybe she wanted to sleep with him? He laughed internally. He should be so lucky.

"So to what do I owe this lovely call?"

"Ah, you saw right through me" she teased, which caused him to smile once again "I've actually called for a very special proposal. I think you might enjoy what I have to offer."

Oh, so maybe he was going to get lucky after all.

"You see, I was thinking about having a reunion with our old high school peers. You know, just the Host Club and the Hostess Club, maybe throw in a little of our treasured customers?"

There was a long silence. Something inside of his body tugged roughly, making him feel an uncomfortable pain.

"Tamaki?" Hisayo called when she had heard no response from the male.

'That was weird.' The French thought to himself as he forced his voice to speak, however, no matter how hard he tried to get rid of it the inner pain remained.

"Sorry, I dropped something. What did you say? A reunion of the clubs? Well, I think it's a splendid idea."

"Really? You don't think it would too awkward do you?"

That wasn't the word he would use to describe the situation.

"No not at all. I think everyone will be excited to see each other again. It's been so long you know! I'm slightly curious to know what they're up to."

"Well I'm glad you think so. The reunion will take place within about three months, to give everyone enough time to pay for their flights and get everything straightened out."

"Where will it be held?"

"Ouran Academy of course."

The pain sharpened. Why did he even bother asking? He already knew the answer.

"Sounds great."

"Thank you for your opinion Suoh, I'm glad I called you to double check the idea."

Tamaki knew all too well that Nakashima Hisayo did not need to double check anything in life. She herself calculated everything from start to finish, and this was just another one of her manipulative schemes. She wanted to see how he would react; she wanted to hear him bend over with his tail between his legs and back out. That's just who she was, and it made him grin from ear to ear knowing that she hadn't changed after all these years. He really did appreciate that charismatic style of hers.

"No problem, I'll be seeing you there then I presume?"

"Yes, of course you will."

He was about to say his goodbye and hang up, but suddenly stopped himself. He had one last question to ask. He needed to see if she really was as sharp as ever.

"Hisa-senpai?"

"Yes?"

"How did you know that I was staying at a hotel? I only told my closest co-workers."

There was a slight pause.

"Because I know everything. Or did you forget that too?"

Tamaki could perfectly picture the woman's face as she said this; he could almost see her devious smile curling her lips through the phone. He closed his eyes and took the moment in, letting it bring him to a place that was now so far away. It almost made him laugh.

"Yes, I remember. I'll see you later."


A/N : Second fanfic and I have to say that I was having too much fun writing this! This is loosely based off of a side roleplay I joined a long time ago. I really enjoyed the plot, but I have taken on a whole lot of new characters now, since I only played the twins and Hunny back then. I'm, nonetheless, very excited and hope you'll like it too. C8 Please don't forget to review, it helps to get feedback on a project!