A Mission With No Prize: Kaoru-Style

(X is for X-Ray)

Disclaimer:

I don't own Kaoru, or Hikaru, or Haruhi etc. OHSHC isn't mine.

Dedicated to:

My wonderful sister,

Thanks for letting me use your acc

(:

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Sometimes, I felt like she had x-ray vision, like she always knew what I was feeling, like she could see my heartbeat quicken drastically when she was near.

But of course she couldn't. It was Haruhi we were talking about here: blunt, clueless, and extremely dense Haruhi.

Cute, innocent, lovable Haruhi...

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I can't do this, I thought desperately. Milord and Hikaru were already head over heels in love with her. Hunny was always acting cute around her, so you never know. Even Mori, quiet and expressionless Mori, could be secretly in love with her for all I knew. The only person I could trust to not succumb to her charms was Kyoya.

But then again, wasn't he the one who was stealing glances at Haruhi when we had our Cosplay theme for host club?

"Ahhh!" I shouted, hands tangled in my hair as I tried to think this through. Haruhi was like a magnet, attracting all of the host club members to her. Myself included, I thought grimly. No one was able to escape her charms; not even the fan girls. Men on the other hand...

I chuckled then, smiling out through the club room's window. To an ordinary man, Haruhi might not be given a second glance. If one were to only see her and not get to know her, it would be hard to fall in love with her at first sight. With her short unruly hair, small size and cross-dressing tendencies (for the sake of the club of course), it wouldn't be a wonder if nobody ever tries to pick her up from off the streets. Not that it wasn't a bad thing; if random guys started picking her up, then I'd―we'd have a problem.

To the host club, Haruhi was our treasured princess. She was who we all revolved around, despite how much Kyoya may deny it. Even though she wasn't the strongest or the prettiest, she could see with eyes unclouded who we truly were on the inside. She's changed us since entering the host club. Haruhi was the only person who managed to break into me and Hikaru's closed world: the first outsider who we've come to accept.

Oh Haruhi...What I wouldn't give to make you mine?

"Kaoru!"

Right, Hikaru. I heaved a great sigh and turned around to face my little brother. I already knew well how Hikaru felt, even if he didn't realize it himself. Milord too, but he probably wouldn't realize before Hikaru anyways. I wouldn't break what I have with Hikaru for her. Maybe that's a sign? Maybe I just don't love her enough?

"Kaoru! We're opening soon! Why haven't you gotten changed yet? It's a cross-dressing theme today you know? We get to see Haruhi in a dress!"

My eyes lit up.

Haruhi? In a dress?

My imagination began to run wild. I pictured Haruhi in all sorts of different dresses: a long elegant Victorian dress, a cute stylish short cut one, or a soft frilly white sundress. Oh, she would also be wearing a wig, maybe that black one from last time. Her hair would be styled to match her dress, and she'd walk out embarrassed while trying to not trip in her heels. I could be there then, beside her, helping her walk straight and not―No! Wait, just wait a minute Kaoru! Think! What about Haruhi's cover? My fantasies were all chased away as soon as I remembered Haruhi's cover. She couldn't be found out, ever, that she was actually a woman. She'd be expelled by the principal for sure!

"What? What are you talking about?" I said, jumping up from the couch beside the club room window. This was nonsense! Pure foolishness!"Why would milord use this as the theme? Does he WANT Haruhi to be found out?"

Hikaru looked shocked to see my reaction. Clearly he had not anticipated such rage. In truth, I DID want to see Haruhi in a dress and looking like the beautiful girl she really is, but to jeopardize her cover?

"Kaoru...what's wrong? Don't you want to see Haruhi in a dress? It's practically a once in a lifetime chance! You know how much she hates frilly things."

I sighed. I looked Hikaru in the eye and could tell that he was genuinely excited. He hadn't thought about what might happen if the customers began to suspect Haruhi of being TOO much like a girl...or if any guy falls for her. You're just jealous, I told myself. If Haruhi hasn't been found out yet, I doubt that she will be just because of today's theme. I realized that I actually WAS jealous, that I simply didn't want any other man to set eyes on my Haruhi...IN A DRESS!

Oh what am I talking about...MY Haruhi?

I shook my head, exasperated just by thinking about Haruhi so much. Maybe things won't go so bad, and once I see Haruhi in her dress, maybe I could finally give up after having my one dream fulfilled. Yeah right, I thought, rolling my eyes at my own silly hope. It would be a miracle if I didn't fall for her even more after this. Oh well...

Trying to act more like myself, I ran up to give Hikaru a headlock. Steering him to the direction of our changing room, I asked, "Alright, let's go Hikaru! What are we wearing today?"

"Oh, you'll like it so much! Our dresses are designed from..."

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I was wrong.

Give up on Haruhi? That was a dream that would never happen, and I expected that, but to feel like I fell completely in love with her all over again was a surprise.

Haruhi was beautiful.

She wore a long dark brown wig that was slightly curled at the ends with hints of copper red when sunlight coming in from the clubroom window shined down. There was a hint of blush in her cheeks, natural of course, though Hunny had somehow managed to get her to accept the mascara and eyeliner that now accented her eyes.

The eyes.

I finally dared to look into her eyes as she walked timidly out from behind the change room door. As she glanced up shyly, blushing furiously at her "ridiculous" get-up, I sucked in a breath at the colour of her eyes.

They were gold.

Haruhi's eye were originally a deep brown, but now they were a beautiful hazel flecked with golden specks, altered by the use of coloured contacts.

Who thought of this? I was furious, partially because any man who set their eyes on Haruhi now would fall in love with her for sure, but also because I couldn't stop myself from loving her even more. Just the thought that anyone other than me was going to lay their eyes on Haruhi made me burn with jealousy.

"Kaoru?" Haruhi said, her timid voice pulling me out of my thoughts. "Why are you staring? Do I look funny?"

"No!" I shouted, quickly replying as I turned the other way to prevent her from seeing my flushed face. "You look fine Haruhi! Really cute, actually."

"Oh, thanks." She said, stumbling as she walked to the couch and sat herself down. "Aren't you going to get changed?"

"Uh…yeah, I'm going now. The other dress didn't fit, so Hikaru got me another one." I said, scrambling hurriedly into the change room.

"Hurry out." She said, "The customers are coming soon, and you need to make sure that the costume fits this time."

"Ok, alright." I mumbled, closing the door and turning around to find my costume. This was going to be a long day, I thought, sifting through the piles of clothes that Hikaru brought with his second selection to look for my designated dress. I have to get dressed, put on a smile, entertain the customers, not fluster in front of Haruhi, and keep her safe.

Sounds like a mission.

Tamaki always came up with missions while Kyoya provided the prizes, but now, I had my own mission to fulfill.

Top secret mission, Kaoru-style: Prevent anybody from falling in love with Haruhi or discovering her secret.

Prize?

I mentally stuttered at that point. What prize? It'd just be the simple satisfaction of knowing no man would lay their hands on my ―er, scratch that ― Haruhi. No one would be able to harm her, or take her away from the host club.

That will just have to be motivating enough, I thought, finishing the touch-ups on my make-up before walking out. Tamaki and Kyoya were already in the room, with Tamaki fussing about how we should be positioned to start out. Hunny was organizing the desserts on the table with the help of Mori, and Hikaru was finalizing the decorations on the tables.

I tuned everybody out, and set my eyes on the beautiful silhouette of the girl of my dreams. She sat there, staring out of the clubroom window, getting a bit of rest and sunshine before customers started to pour in.

I'll be the one to protect her, I thought, mentally promising myself. No one has to know that I'm doing this, or why I'm doing this. It didn't matter if Tamaki or Hikaru love her; as long as I could watch over Haruhi in my own way, that was enough.

The tapping on my high heels on the floor alerted Haruhi of my presence, and as she turned around, I felt my resolve strengthen even more.

"Are you ready, Kaoru?"

I smiled, getting into position with the rest of the host club members. "Let's do this."

Mission "Protect Haruhi": ON!

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Hey everyone! This is Rehn (:

This is (technically) my first published story! How do you guys like it? I have a soft spot for host club and decided to start with that! I think that Kaoru especially doesn't get much spotlight unless he's with Hikaru, so might as well let him take the stage (:

So I'm also picking up my sister's goal of writing the alphabet for MANGA1's "To Paint The Town Red" (:
I'll be starting from the bottom of the alphabet though (yes, I know, X is not Z, but I'm not done Z yet, so yeah...) and work my way up to meet sis xD

My first actual story and I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews would be nice (: