Sketching was like meditating for me. It cleared my mind of everything negative and replaced it with peace and relaxation. I was able to leave my sucky reality and go into a realm of my own, one that I created.
Placing my bag on the ground, I took my place on the bench under the willow tree. It was the perfect spot for me to be alone and draw to my heart's content. No one ever really came to this small park, though I didn't know why. It was beautiful, with a large sparkling lake with swans and ducks that had made their residence nearby.
It was silent here at the lake, a serine atmosphere. Everything was peaceful and calm, just like I liked it to be when I sketched. With each stroke of my pencil, I could feel all of my worries and stress fade away into the paper.
I grabbed my most recent creation, the willow tree with the lake in the background. It wasn't finished yet, but it was extremely close, with just a few more touches it would be perfect. After a few strokes of my pencil, it was finally done. I stared at my work for a few seconds before placing it beside me on the bench along with some of my others.
Closing my eyes I let the wind blow through my shaggy brown hair. The crinkling of paper, alerted me and I snapped my eyes open in alarm just to see all of my favorite drawings blowing in the wind. Just my luck, most of them ended up in the tree above me. With a sigh, I got up and decided that I had to climb the tree and get them down. I had gotten the majority of everything collected; the only thing left was my favorite one of the willow. It was just out of my reach, only inches away from my fingertips. Pushing my balance, I lunged forward in an attempt to snatch the paper. Unfortunately, my converse didn't grip the tree very well causing me to slip and start hurtling towards the ground in an alarming rate.
With a scream I squeezed my eyes shut in desperation. Even though this could very well be the end of my life, it didn't bother me all that much. I just prayed that I went quickly and didn't suffer. Landing on something hard and uncomfortable, I immediately grabbed for whatever it was. When my senses started coming back, my brain registered that I was actually in someone's arms, with my hands basically choking them with the grip I had. I quickly opened my eyes to see who had saved me from my untimely death. To my surprise it was one of the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru to be exact.
His facial expression was a bit agitated as he put me down. Shaking off my shock, I took multiple steps back and tried ignoring the Host Club member. I could tell he didn't want to be here and talking to me, so I would just do him the favor and leave.
"What were you doing?" He said stopping me.
Ignoring him I started rummaging the bushes for my papers once again. This time it wasn't the wind that scattered them, but my own stupidity when I dropped them as I fell out of the tree.
"You weren't trying to kill yourself were you?" He asked bluntly as if he didn't care either way.
"And you care because?" I replied softly, looking him square in the face. It was a bit unusual for me to see him outside of school, and for him to actually talk to me ever. Hikaru opened his mouth to reply to me, but was cut off when Kaoru suddenly started yelling at him.
"Hikaru! Hikaru are you alright?!"
Taking the moment to bolt away from the pair, I grabbed as many pictures that I could and shoved them in my bag before rushing off towards my Uncles house.
*~*Hikaru's POV*~*
"Who was that Hikaru?" Kaoru asked me as he finally made it to my side.
"No idea, although I feel as though I've seen her before."
*~*Mizuki's POV*~*
"Come on, Mizu-Chan," Honey grabbed my wrist and started to pull me down one of the elaborate hallways of Ouran. I laughed at the small boy who was currently swerving around people. Their faces went from laughing at Honey's playfulness, to glaring at me. I blew them off however; after all I was used to that sort of thing.
"I don't understand why Honey is always around her."
"I know, she's just a dirty commoner,"
"Emo freak."
Pulling my black hood over my head so it covered my face, I continued to follow one of my only friends. He looked back and noticed that a somber and emotionless face replaced my previous playful one. It wasn't unusual for me to get like this around other people; it was easier for me to retreat into my shell than try and get them to like me.
I had tried, honestly I had. They just didn't want to see me as anything other than my appearance. Obviously they had never heard of the saying, never judge a book by its cover.
Frowning, Honey thought for a minute on how to get his friend to smile again, that's when the perfect idea popped into his mind.
It wasn't long until we came to a hallway that I never wished to travel down. Ever. In my entire school career here at Ouran I had successfully managed to steer clear of anything having to do with Music Room 3.
"Mitsukuni, I don't think this is a good idea." I protested, digging my heels into the expensive flooring. Unfortunately for me, they were polished marble making me just slide right along.
"Please, oh please Mizu-chan! They have the best strawberry cake!" The small boy begged. My ears perked up at the mention of strawberries and cake. It was a low blow; he knew that I loved those things just as much as he did.
"I'd rather not, Honey-sempai. You know that that place makes me uncomfortable." I sighed, fighting off my inner self which was still thinking about the delicious pastries.
"Well, okay then Mizu-chan. I guess I'll just go alone." The boy started to cry and give me his large puppy dog eyes trying to get me to break. Unfortunately, it was working and I was slowly starting to cave. I couldn't help it, he was just so adorable.
"Fine, but only for five minutes then I'm gone." I wagged my finger in Honey's face. He smiled, knowing that he had defeated me. It wasn't hard; he could get me to do anything really with his cuteness.
"Yay! I'm so glad you finally decided to come and enjoy the fun!" The short blonde boy laughed and continued to drag me to that dreamed door. Taking a deep breath, I waited for the terror that awaited me from within.
As the doors swung open I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't attacked by rose petals like I had heard some other annoying girls giggling about. Something about 'making them feel like a princess every time they entered the room.' Deep down, way deep down, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get the same treatment as every other girl. Maybe it had something to do with how early we were; that and I was with honey. Wouldn't it be a bit creepy if rose petals fell every time a host club member walked in? If I was them I would be sick of it after one time.
We hadn't gotten two steps in the room before a deep voice whispered from somewhere behind us.
"Mitsukuni, where have you been? I've been looking for you."
"Hey, Takashi." Honey giggled. I knew I had heard that voice somewhere before, it was none other than Takashi Morinozuka, Honey's cousin. "I was with Mizu-chan,"
Mori gave me a glance over and nodded his head in a silent greeting. Along with Honey, Mori was one of the only people that I really felt comfortable showing my true self to.
"Come on Mizu-chan, let's go find cake." Honey grabbed my arm and began dragging me deeping into the room. It was quiet, not something I expected from the host club, especially since there was one host that was particularly loud. Tamaki, I think was his name. At least, that was the name that most of the girls giggle about. I knew names, I just didn't know faces.
In the corner a black haired boy with glasses sat typing away on his computer, with a black book which looked to be a planner of some sort. He was the only one in the room other than honey, Mori, and I. Honey led me over to a table that was just filled with every kind of sweet I could imagine, but one thing stood out more than everything. The strawberry cake.
"Let's eat, Mizu-chan!" Honey cheered before cutting him and I a large slice of cake.
"This looks," I stared at the wonderful piece of sugar that was sitting on my plate. "Delicious!"
And with that, he began to devour his cake. Deciding to take his lead, I placed a small piece in my mouth to taste it. It tasted just like heaven. However, just as I was about to basically inhale my dessert, the large doors swung open.
"What were you two thinking?! Poor Haruhi could have been seriously injured, or worse her face could've been scared beyond repair! Oh the horror! It's okay my darling daughter, Daddy's here." A tall blonde boy waltzed in hugging a smaller, dark haired boy to his chest. Although, when I looked close enough that 'boy' was quite feminine. It wasn't my place to judge however, I could look a bit like a boy at times as well.
"Who's that?" I nudged Honey motioning towards the two that had just entered.
"Oh, that's Tama-chan, he's the leader here and then that's Haru-chan." He explained pointing towards the blonde and then the small one.
"Why did he call himself 'daddy' and haru-chan his daughter?" I asked. Normally I wouldn't be prying this far into other people's personal lives, but this group was just too strange not to ask a few questions.
"We're all one big family, Mizu-chan!" Honey smiled with his eyes closed. Just as I was about to ask another question about this so called 'family' more people came into the room. Deciding I'd just wait and ask questions later, I took another bite of my neglected cake.
"Calm down, boss. We were only playing kick-the-can." An oddly familiar voice sang.
Looking up, I almost choked on my cake. My loud coughing alerted everyone in the room of my near-death experience, and everyone's eyes suddenly landed on me. With wide, bloodshot eyes, I stared right into the hazel orbs of none other than Hikaru Hitachiin. Oh wonderful. I knew I shouldn't have come here, I should've realized that they were 'hosts'. Why did I have to be blinded by that strawberry cake?!
"I have to go," I stood up suddenly, my chair scraping harshly against the floor. Now that it was complete silence and everyone was staring at me, I couldn't help but pull back into my shell. This was just too much for me to handle right now. I didn't feel like dealing with these arrogant rich jerks. I pulled up my hood and quickly rushed out the door and down the hallway, roughly pushing past the Hitachiin twins.
*~*3rd Person POV*~*
"Who was that?" Tamaki stood awestruck. "I've never seen her before."
"She wasn't wearing a uniform, but I've seen her around before so I know she goes here." Haruhi admitted. She had seen the unknown female before, but hadn't ever talked to her. Come to think of it, the Host Club and its customers were really all she talked to and that girl obviously wasn't one of those.
"Maybe she's a commoner like you Haruhi," Tamaki tried to explain. "Perhaps she's shy too, that's why she left when we came in here." "
On the contrary, that was Mizuki Ogawa," Kyoya intervened. "Trust me, she is far from a commoner. Her uncle Yoshi Ogawa is the head of a famous perfume company that produces "Beauty From The Water", a famous scent among young ladies. He inherited the company after his late brother, Mizuki's father, died in a horrible accident."
"So, if she's not a commoner, then why does she dress like that?" Kaoru questioned.
"That I do not know, all I know is that her uncle is a very large contributor to the schools funds which is how she gets away with wearing her outfit of choice. It isn't because she can't afford it, but merely because she doesn't want to wear it."
"Ogawa, Mizuki Ogawa, I know I've heard that name before." Tamaki placed his finger on his chin as if he was in some sort of trance. "I know!" The blonde haired prince snapped his fingers. "She's the one that they call the 'Demon's daughter' correct? You don't think she's in the Dark Magic Club do you?! Was she in here setting a curse on the room?! What if-"
"Hey, Mizu-chan is my friend!" Honey stood up, "She's not part of the Dark Magic Club silly Tama-chan. Mizu-chan isn't a people person, so she doesn't participate in school activates or clubs."
"What a relief." Tamaki sighed and sagged against the door with one hand on his forehead, "So she came to see you then Honey-Senpai?"
"She just came to eat cake with me, but then once she saw Hika-chan and Kao-chan she left the room."
"Why would she do that I wonder?"
"I've never seen her before in my life," Kaoru held up his hands indifferently. The host club didn't let a certain auburn haired twin to go unnoticed when he didn't answer for a few minutes. His eyes were staring off into the distance, as if he was in deep thought about something.
"Hikaru?"
"Me either," He said breaking his stare and turning it into a harsh glare. No one in the room seemed to buy his lame answer, so they just continued to stare doubtfully at the older twin. "What? Do you think I'm lying?! I've never seen her before, I've never spoken to her, and I've never had any contact with her what so ever. Okay?" He exploded. "It's almost time to open and I still need to get ready, so if you'll excuse me."
Kaoru, along with Tamaki, Mori, Honey, Haruhi, and Kyoya, watched the elder Hitachiin stalk out of the room. When Hikaru got into the back room, and he was sure no one had followed him, he reached into his school bag and pulled out a piece of paper.
This wasn't just any piece however; it was a sketch of the lake he and his brother had just happened to stop by one day. On the bottom right corner was the tiny signature of Mizuki Ogawa, the girl he had saved from falling out of a tree.
"What's that?" Kaoru suddenly popped up behind his brother.
"Nothing, it's nothing." He denied and shoved the paper back into his bag.
"Whatever you say," Kaoru sang, waltzing out of the room.
That was weird. She was no one to him, just some random strange girl that more or less fell from the sky into his arms. He had never spoken to the girl other than in the park, but even then it was more of an argument than anything else. Her sketch held so much emotion in it however; it felt like they had connected on a deeper level. It almost felt sinful, like he was looking into her innermost soul. No. Hikaru shoved all of his thought on the girl to the back of his mind and went back to focusing on his duties for tonight's Host Club.
Mizuki Ogawa was no one to him, or at least that was what he was trying to convince himself. Although, he couldn't help but catch himself as he watched her walking down the hallway, or sitting in the library. The way she walked, so calm, so guarded. Her flowing brown hair, the way she was different. It all pulled him in, intrigued him, and angered him to no end. Why couldn't he just get her off of his mind?!
Sighing, Hikaru finished getting dressed and got ready to go back out and face the likely firing squad. Coming back into the main room, Hikaru caught the tail end of everyone's conversation.
"It's settled then!" Tamaki cheered. "Honey, tomorrow you bring Mizuki here and we'll introduce her to everyone. She's bound to find a few friends then!"
"What's going on?" Hikaru demanded. Couldn't this girl just leave him alone already?
"I told Tama-chan how Mizu-chan had no friends other than Takashi and I, so he's going to introduce her to some people tomorrow in hopes that she'll actually find some other people to talk to." Honey summed everything up.
"Can't we just leave her alone? It's obvious that she wants nothing to do with the people here, they all treat her like trash anyway. I mean come on, everyone calls her the 'Demon's Daughter', why would she want to befriend people that treat her like crap?" He didn't want her here. He needed to get her off of his mind, not have her slinking around the room while he was trying to work. If she was around, then there was surely no way he was going to be able to focus on all of the girls that fawned over him and Kaoru. It would ruin his business.
"You're right," Tamaki whined. Just when Hikaru thought he was in the clear, his boss came up with another stupid scheme. "Honey-Senpai, you said that she was really good at sketching right?"
"That's right," Honey nodded while shoving more of his sweets into his mouth.
"Great! Then we'll just ask her to come in and draw us and the Host Club, and viola she's in!"
"Why are you so intent on this girl, boss?" Hikaru asked,
"She's a maiden in distress and it is my job as the Prince to help her!" Tamaki explained heroically.
Hikaru only rolled his eyes, this wasn't going to go well, he could just tell. Maybe if he acted like nothing was wrong, then so would she and then everything would go back to normal. There was no way that was going to happen. Now that she was in his mind, she wasn't going to be getting out any time soon.
