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On the third floor of Japan's prestigious Ouran High School, where only the richest and most prominent students study, one would find Music Room 3 at the end of a long hall with walls painted pink and gold. Behind its ivory white doors: a gentle gust of rose petals, followed by the warm faces of seven quirky but lovable teens who are ready to serve and entertain you:
Tamaki Suou- The Host King; a hopeless romantic and a natural blonde. In other words, a natural idiot.
Kyoya Ootori- Tamaki's right hand man and self-appointed accountant of the group. Also known as "The Shadow King."
Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka- the strong, silent type; recently graduated with his cousin.
Mitskuni "Hunny" Haninozuka- Mori's cousin and former Lolita boy of the Host Club, now graduated.
The brothers Hatachiin, Hikaru and Kaoru- the devilish duo; don't bother trying to tell them apart, they'll just tell you you're wrong. (Even if you're right.)
And Haruhi Fujioka- a kind and patient young man...who's really a girl in disguise.
Welcome to the Ouran High School Host Club.
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"MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT"
Snodin
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March 14 was a special day in Japan; they called it "White Day." While other countries devoted one day of the year for romantic love, Japan reserved Valentine's Day for girls to show their affection to boys, while White Day reversed the roles. This meant that just about every male student in Ouran High was expected to shower their female classmates with white chocolates and jewelry- the best they or their parents could afford. That being said, White Day was an especially big day for The Host Club, as every year they would have to go all out on their charms with their lady clients.
But this year, White Day was going to be different for Hikaru Hitachiin. As he straightened his necktie in front of the bathroom mirror in the powder room adjacent to his and Kaoru's bedroom, he declared proudly, "This is it, Kaoru. Today is the day I'm going to tell Haruhi that I love her."
His twin, the softer spoken Kaoru, just glared at him as he too straigghtened his own tie. "You're joking."
"Not this time, brother. I've been planning my speech and everything for the past two weeks."
"Two weeks?" chuckled the slightly younger twin. "It took you that long to spell-check?"
The elder twin made a face. "...I'm gonna surprise her in the garden during recess; I'll tell her to meet me at that gazaebo in the hedgemaze. Then I'm gonna give her the biggest surprise of her life-"
"You're pregnant."
"No!" he scoffed at the lame joke. "I'm gonna give her the keys to the new Bentley in our garage."
Kaoru's golden eyes widened. "Woah! Do Mom and Dad know?"
Hikaru started to comb his bangs to his left, affirming his identity. "Eh, they're never home to drive it; it just sits there collecting dust. At least Haruhi will appreciate it."
Kaoru brushed his bangs to his right. "Does she even have her liscense yet?"
"She's sixteen, isn't she?"
"Hikaru, just because you turn sixteen it doesn't mean you're automatically liscenced to drive."
The elder Hitachiin brushed his blue blaser. "Welp, my mind's made up. Wish me luck, little brother. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, you'll be rubbing elbows with the future Mrs. Hikaru Hitachiin."
As Hikaru walked away with a swing in his step, Kaoru watched his reflection in the mirror. Something inside of him wasn't feeling right, a sudden sense of dread. He knew this feeling all too well; the feeling of losing everything he held dear just as Cinderella lost her magic spell at the stroke of midnight. Why he always associated himself with that particular fairy tale, not even he would know. But one thing was for certain...
The clock tower in his mind was now ringing: 11:00pm.
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After school hours, Music Room 3 was still open. When the young ladies of Ouran Academy opened its doors that day, they were greeted with white rose petals instead of the typical red. Their eyes lit up at the sight of multi-tiered food trays covered in various white chocolates; they almost looked like Christmas trees. White drapes and white roses replaced the typical red theme of the room, and at each table and sofa was a stack of wrapped presents for the Hosts to give away to each esteemed guest.
As for the Hosts themselves, they were dressed in all-white tuxeodos with blouses that matched their personal preferences: Tamaki in a black blouse with white bowtie; Kyoya with a deep purple blouse and white bowtie; Hikaru with a light blue blouse and black bowtie; Kaoru in a bright orange blouse and black bowtie; and Haruhi in a rose red blouse with black bowtie. To top themselves off, they each welcomed their guests in white top hats with black sashes and a single rose that matched the color of their individual blouses.
"Greetings, lovely ladies!" purred the Host King. "As you know, White Day is a special day here at The Host Club; though we always do our best to shower our guests with gifts every day, we've doubled our efforts for this particular occasion. Whichever Host you select, you'll be rewarded with the finest teasures money can buy."
"Or," muttered Kyoya in the back, "at the very least, what our parents can buy."
"Consider them as our token of affection," added Tamaki sweetly.
The girls swooned and cheered. Some of them dashed for the presents right away, which included diamond-studded bracelets, necklaces and earrings; others went straight for the chocolate trays. One girl in particular stared at the sweets and sighed, "White Day just isn't the same without Hunny-senpai. He loved this holiday."
From his seat by the window, Kaoru heard her lament. His heart sank, as though he had just remembered that the club was missing two Hosts. Indeed, Hunny and Mori recently graduated from the academy, off to persue their families' businesses. It was around the time of their graduation when the clock tower in Kaoru's head began to tick down to midnight.
"Don't worry, my princesses," cooed Tamaki as he observed them. "Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai send their regards."
"Aw Tamaki," frowned one lady guest, "just think, it won't be long before you and Kyoya-senpai have to leave us too."
Sure. Speed up the final hour why don'tcha, thought Kaoru? His eyes narrowed as he turned to the window.
"Fear not," smiled the Host King. "Even though we may not be able to attend the school, we'll all still be able to have outings every weekend and during the summer. In fact, we're going to invite everyone to a picnic in the park next weekend. And who knows? Perhaps a certain Lolita boy and tall-dark-handsome companion might just make an appearance."
The girls squealed at the offer. But this, sadly, did not deter Kaoru's growing concerns. He remained quiet at his table, which was now starting to worry his more outspoken brother.
"Kaoru?" peeped Hikaru, snapping him back to reality. "Hey, what's up? You've been quiet all day."
"Hmm... Oh, nothing," muttered the slouched Hitachiin.
"You bored? Whaddya say we give the ladies one of our best performances?" smiled Hikaru wily.
Kaoru sighed, "Eh, why not?" At the very least, it would take his mind off of the ticking clock. As the elder twin swept him off his feet- quite literally- Kaoru's eyes wandered around the room and fell on Haruhi, who was sitting at her sofa in the middle of the room passing out boxes of chocolates to her guests, as they were all she could afford. "Hey Hikaru," whispered Kaoru as he was swaddled in his brother's arms in mid-brotherly love act. "What happened at recess with Haruhi? You didn't tell me."
"Oh," frowned Hikaru. "She was too busy giving out candy; I forgot that all the girls here think she's a guy."
"Ah," smirked Kaoru. "That's what we get for hiring her."
"No worries, I'm still gonna meet her in the gazaebo once we're done here. Cover for me while I'm gone?"
"Uh... Okay?" Kaoru blinked, unsure of why he was supposed to cover for him at all. But he would find out soon enough...
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At 5pm, the Host Club was done for the day. The boys (and girl) waved their guests goodbye in the parking lot. According to plan, Hikaru's silver Bentley was parked outside the school's front and made sure that Haruhi saw it before making his move. Once the young ladies were gone from sight, he gently grasped her wrist and whispered, "Haruhi?"
"Huh?" she blinked.
"Can I see you in the gazaebo in the garden? I have soimething to-"
"HARUHIIIIIII!" sang Tamaki in his usual overdramatic voice.
Hikaru narrowed his eyes; he saw this coming a mile away.
"What is it, Senpai?" asked the girl in boy's uniform.
Her elder stood before her with a small giftbox in one hand, grasping her right hand with the other and thus making her seperate from Hikaru. "I'm so glad that's finally over! Now that we're all alone, I can give you my present at long last. Behold!" He held out the small box, imagining bright fireworks igniting the sky as trumpets blared in victory.
Harui blinked. Then blinked again. Then she took the box and opened it to reveal... "Golden tickets? Senpai, you didn't buy an entire chocolate factory, did you?"
"Hahahahahahaha! Oh Haruhi, you're such a kidder. No, these are two tickets to the opera; it's about time I lavished you with something far more extravagant than just some cheesy romance film. The opera is so much more refined, wouldn't you agree?"
She shrugged, "I guess it's a nice change of pace."
What are they talking about, Hikaru wondered with a jealous glint in his eye. He's making it sound like they're already dating or something... "Uh, Boss? You aren't serious about taking her to the opera, are you?"
"Of course I am."
"But it's boring!" maoned the Twins. "And you can't even understand what they're saying anyway," Kaoru added.
"That's the difference between an aged fine wine like myself, and a pair of vulgar cans of soda pop like you two."
"Wine turns to poison eventually," muttered Hikaru.
Ignoring the comment, Tamaki asked, "So, Haruhi, what do you say to Friday night at 8pm sharp?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, Senpai."
A deep gasp of surprise. "You mean it? Really?"
"Yeah, why not?"
"OH, HAPPY DAY! COME HUG DADDY!" Squeeing with delight, Tamaki flew out his arms to embrace his "daughter," when Hikaru suddenly grabbed his brother and shoved him forward, causing Tamaki to embrace Kaoru instead. The Host King was so enthusiastic that his eyes remained tightly shut while he squeezed the life out of Kaoru, thinking him to be Haruhi. "Oh, joy! Oh, rapture! This is going to be so exciting, you and me and overdramatic Italian singers! Ah, I'm getting chills just thinking about it!"
While lovesick Tamaki rambled, Hikaru grabbed the real Haruhi by the arm and dashed off with her into the back of the school, where the garden was located. And since Kyoya was still present and not willing to participate, he rolled his eyes and walked to his own limo.
While still being squeezed by his "Boss," a twitch of irritation appeared in Kaoru's golden eyes. Hikaru, you owe me for this. Big time.
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Hues of gold and blue were melting into each other in the sky, as Hikaru whisked his love interest into the rosy hedgemaze in the school gardens and stopped at the marble stone gazaebo and its stone-cut round table. Hikaru paused to catch his breath while Haruhi wondered, "What are we doing all the way out here?"
"This is a special place," smiled the redheaded boy as he reached for something under his suit coat. He pulled out a small box small enough to fit a ring in and presented it to Haruhi. "I wanted this to be a special moment, just between you and me."
"Hikaru...?"
"Haruhi, you're the most amazing girl I've ever met. You're my best friend- hell, you were my first real friend. Tamaki and Kyoya and those guys were all nice, but you're the one who really got through to me and Kaoru. I... I want you to have something. Here."
Haruhi took the box into her hands. When she opened it, she was surprised to see a golden keyring sporting two golden keys. "...I don't get it, what are these for?"
"One is to the silver Bentley in the parking lot. The other... is the key to my heart."
Her chocolate brown eyes widened as they fell on his golden. "Hikaru... I..."
He started to flush red, thinking that she was about to open her heart to him. "Yes...?"
"...I can't take the keys to your car. How will you get home?"
His face dropped. How could she be so dense? "Uh, err..." he stammered. "I'm giving you the car, silly!"
"Oh," she blinked in surprise. "But... I can't drive yet."
"It's a gift. You don't have to drive it now, just... Ugh, would you at least accept the other key?"
She stared dully at the keys. "What did you say that one was for again?"
"My heart." As he said this, he planted his hand on his chest. "It symbolizes how I feel about you. I like you. A lot."
She looked up at him and smiled. "I like you too, Hikaru. You're a really good friend."
Friend? ...Friend? His face flushed from red to blue, his eyes white with shock. She was toying with him now, she had to be! There was no way on God's green earth that a person could be this clueless! Not unless that person was-
"Haruhi?" called Tamaki's voice in the near distance.
"Crap," muttered Hikaru, knowing his brother's distraction wore off. He took Haruhi's hands into his and desperately breathed, "Haruhi, listen to me. I don't mind if you go out with Tamaki Friday night, heck I won't mind if you two go out on a few dates. But I want you to know- I need you to know- that you're the most important person in my life. You've stolen my heart."
"You just gave me the keys."
"It's a metaphor!" he screamed in exasperation. Then he quickly calmed down to say, "Look. I care about you, is what I'm trying to say."
"Yeah, I get that. But you don't have to give me anything expensive or metaphoric. I like you too, Hikaru."
"You like me, or you like me?" he asked plainly.
She paused, looking utterly lost. "...Uh..."
"Haruhi!" gasped Tamaki, as he came running into the scene with Kaoru trailing him.
Damn it, he almost had her. Hikaru groaned.
"Senpai?" chirped Haruhi.
Tamaki skid to a halt in front of her. "Haruhi! Thank goodness you didn't get lost." He then shot an accusing finger at Hikaru with bared fangs. "YOU! How dare you steal my precious little girl from me, you two-faced doublecrosser?"
"Relax Boss," said Hikaru with narrowed eyes. "We were just talking."
"He gave me a car," said the girl in boy's clothes.
Eyes bulged, Tamaki gasped. "What!? No! Don't accept any gifts from these two, it's probably rigged to explode! Come Haruhi, let's get you home. I'll drive you." He took her arm and dragged her away, her face deadpanned. "You don't drive, Senpai. You have a limo driver."
That left the two Hitachiin boys alone with each other. One stared at the other with a discouraged glare.
Kaoru eyed his brother and said in a dark, grim tone, "He kissed me."
"..."
"On the lips."
"..."
"I hate you."
"Well, we're both losers then," frowned Hikaru. "She turned me down."
"Aww," pouted Kaoru, now genuinely sorry for his brother.
"Well technically, she didn't turn me down, just the car. I'm gonna have to come up with a better way of showing her just how I feel."
"Why don't you just tell her how you feel?"
"I did! ...I mean I kind of did... She just didn't get the message." After scratching his chin for a few seconds, Hikaru snapped his fingers. "Wait, I've got it! I'll invite her to the mansion on Saturday! We'll give her a tour and then show her the theatre room. And there..."
Kaoru grinned wily. "Aah, I see where you're going with this."
"Kaoru, this plan has to work. I need your help."
"No problem, brother. I'll be your wingman." He extended his hand.
Hikaru clasped it into his. "Great! Then it's settled. You'll bring the popcorn..."
"And you'll bring the charm."
They shook on it.
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TBC