The Best Thing
Chapter One: Ya… What?
"It is time for your first mission," My grandmother told me.
I always wondered why they would want me to do this, but then I thought… Well, I shouldn't be questioning their motives in the first place. So, I stood in front of this ridiculously huge high school – err, Academy, with a poofy, yellow girls' uniform on. I watched in caution as other students arrived in long, sleek limousines, or hummers, or both, as I only walked to school. I avoided contact with anyone, and made my way safely into the homeroom I was assigned to. The class was almost full, and it made me feel uncomfortable with the stares given to me as soon as I entered the room. I looked around, seeing that there were no spare seats for me; or at least, I didn't see any that were available. I stood by the door instead, waiting for the teacher to arrive.
"Good morning, Princess! Are you a new student?" A voice approached me.
I jumped, turning to my left, where a handsome, blonde young man was smiling at me. "Uh, yes. This is my first day," I answered, stepping back so there would be a bit of distance between us.
"How exciting! I'm Suou Tamaki, and I'm the president slash founder of the Host Club! You're most welcome to come by and visit any time!" He said, flashing a warm grin.
Were they already recruiting members into their club? Or did they just want customers? Why would a Host Club be in an exclusive school like this? At least, judging from the Host Clubs I've seen, they shouldn't be near a place like Ouran.
"Sure… I guess," I shrugged, trying not to look a little disturbed. "…I don't know my way around the school yet, so I might not be able to find the room you're in."
"Oh, not to worry, you just come along with me after class!" Tamaki nodded.
Crud. I wasn't counting on that to happen. "Oh. Uh, okay."
Soon, more students came rolling into the classroom, and they all turned silent in their seats as the teacher walked in. The teacher gave me a glance, and looked delighted when he realized I was the new student. He gestured me to stand beside him, and once I did, he introduced me to the quiet class.
"Students, we have a new classmate here with us today. Her name is Shinoda Ren. Please make her feel welcome, and hopefully you'll all be good friends," He said, and then turning to me, "I'm Tanaka-sensei. We all hope you have a satisfactory stay here."
I nodded, shaking his outstretched and slightly wrinkled hand. "T-Thank you, Tanaka-sensei."
He told me where to sit, which was a couple of seats away from Tamaki. We began homeroom in an orderly manner, something my class never would've done if I hadn't transferred. It ended about 20 minutes later. I checked my timetable, and saw I had English first. It should be easy enough to learn a couple of new things in the English language. The people back home crammed me with all this information to get to the top class, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine. Then, two hands slammed down onto my desk. I yelped, looking up at the blonde boy again. "Tamaki?"
"Sorry, I forgot to ask your name! Ren, huh? That's a wonderful name… for a pretty girl too," He winked.
I have nothing against people hitting on me. It's just when people hit on me, and I hardly know them, it starts to get a little alarming. And troublesome. I forced a smile on my face. "Thank you… Tamaki, but really, I'm not that great as you say I am…"
"Nonsense," Tamaki shook his head.
"Stop bothering Ren, Tamaki," A cool voice mumbled.
I turned a little to beside Tamaki, and, okay, I'm not going to lie, because, I mean, no one's going to be reading this, anyway… This is like my diary. I thought this guy was hot. Well, beyond hot. He was blazing like a freaking volcano. My heart skipped a beat when I first laid eyes on him… But I really shouldn't be judging people by their covers.
He looked over at me, and adjusted his glasses with his index finger. "My name is Ootori Kyouya. Welcome to Ouran Academy. Have you thought about visiting the Host Club yet? Knowing Tamaki, he's already informed you about it, correct?"
"Ah, m-more or less," I replied, focusing on staying cool.
"That's good to hear. I'd be glad to see you around in the club room. We always welcome newcomers, so don't be afraid to greet us," Kyouya told me, obviously looking like he wanted more customers.
Sure, he's probably the most attractive boy I've ever seen in my lifetime, but I can still look past his handsome face and fake smile to see he's only looking for money. It turned me off. I agreed anyway. "Yeah. Uh, I suppose."
Tamaki glanced towards the door, and nudged Kyouya. "Class is starting," He mumbled, seeing the teacher walking inside the classroom, big smile and all. Kyouya nodded, gave me another sparkly smile, and sat back down at his seat.
The first two periods had finished, not too slow, nor too fast. Tamaki approached Ren, gleaming with hope that she'll come along to Ouran Academy's Host Club. Ren was definitely hesitant, not exactly wanting to waste her time at another one of those playboy clubs. Still, Tamaki grabbed her wrist as soon as she'd finished packing, along with Kyouya, who calmly walked behind as they ran ahead. Soon, after racing through the corridors of Ouran, Tamaki, Kyouya and Ren stumbled across the Third Music Room. Tamaki touched the golden door knob, and turned it, opening the door to an empty room.
"This is the Host Club!" Tamaki announced dramatically. Then, he shrunk, looking around the room. "…Well, not really, seeing as the other hosts aren't here yet, but yes, THIS IS THE HOST CLUB!" He pulled his arms out again, as if he were presenting a gift.
Ren scanned the music room. It was nothing like the ones she saw in the alleyways and streets of Tokyo city, with dim lights, dirty men and slutty females. This place was bright and open, with elegant furniture, cute, freshly baked cakes, with the most exquisite teacups. Ren gaped, and felt her feet move around the room, letting her examine the refined equipment spread out in the space before her. She didn't know what to say. Maybe she just realized how superior this school was, or maybe it was the comparison between her old home and this new school. Either way, all she mumbled, was, "…Wow."
"What do you think about it?" Tamaki asked.
The corners of her lips lifted, and she smiled in disbelief. "I've never seen a place so… luxurious."
"Eh? Really? Oh! Perhaps you're like Haruhi then!" Tamaki exclaimed, as if he were realizing something huge.
She repeated, "Haruhi?"
"Fujioka Haruhi is a student here on a special scholarship. He is not wealthy like the rest of us, but he is still welcomed here at Ouran," Kyouya explained lightly, looking at a clipboard Ren had never seen before. "We do not judge people on their statuses."
"Oh… I see," Ren replied, still looking silently around the admirable area surrounding her. Then, she jumped, once hearing voices storm into the room.
"Hope we aren't late, my lord!" Two almost identical voices called out.
"Sorry we're late, Tama-chan, you see, I was suddenly hungry for cupcakes, but I found none in the cafeteria, and then I realized there were cupcakes in the Host Club! And since we were in the cafeteria, we were practically on the other side of school, and—!" A high pitched voice was interrupted by a few deep and soft words.
"That's enough," The voice ordered calmly.
Then, lastly, a feminine voice barged into the room, with obvious hints of worriment and frustration. "I'm so sorry I'm late! I was trying to pack my stuff, and then, I left the classroom, and then, I realized I forgot my pencil case, and I went to go grab it, and then, I saw that the door was suddenly shut lock, and then, I had to find a teacher, and then—!"
"It's okay my daughter~! I forgive your tardiness!" Tamaki's voice shouted, letting it echo throughout the spacious room.
Ren turned around, and was faced with a group of boys, a pair of twins, both with a mix of orange and red hair, messily spiked at the back, to give you that sort of devilish feeling. When she looked at the person beside them, she was taken aback slightly. It was the most feminine looking guy she'd ever seen, without even trying to look gay. His eyes were large, or at least, larger than the taller boys of the posse. Then, lowering her head, she almost gawked when looking at such a young boy within the clutches of these men. He had blonde hair, a little paler than Tamaki's, with big brown eyes, and a soft pink plush bunny, he looked even more childish. And finally, Ren lifted her chin, to look into the eyes of the tallest man of the group, with short, choppy hair, that was casually styled. She couldn't help but stare, looking deep into those almost onyx eyes.
All noise was blocked out from her body as soon as the tall man met with her eyes. She stood still, and soon, was broken out of her trance when Tamaki was waving his palm back and forth in front of her face. Ren blinked, then focusing her attention on the frantic blonde man. "Ah, um, I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"Ren, you were a little out of it for a moment," Tamaki forced a smile on his face. "Is everything alright?"
She glanced at the tall man again. "Uh, everything is fine, Tamaki."
He sighed of relief, this time, a genuine smile coming across his face. "Oh thank goodness. Well, Ren, these are the host club members! Everyone, this is Shinoda Ren. Ren, this Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru, Fujioka Haruhi, you know, the one we told you about—"
"What did you say about me?" Haruhi asked, suddenly feeling self conscious and a little tense.
Tamaki shook his head. "Nothing big, my sweet child, it's just that you're here on a special scholarship."
"Oh," Haruhi mumbled, looking relaxed again.
"Ah, where was I? Oh, well, this is Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but we all call him Honey-senpai," Tamaki continued.
Ren piped up. "S… Senpai?"
Tamaki nodded, looking proud. "He may look young, but he's in his third year of high school! And last, but not least, this handsome man right here is Morinozuka Takashi, but instead, we call him Mori-senpai. And of course, you've already met me and Kyouya."
"Morinozuka…" Ren murmured quietly to herself.
"Pardon, Ren?" Tamaki asked.
She shook her head, stealing another glimpse at Mori. "No, it's nothing."
It was as if that whole week had flown by, and Ren was already feeling at home at Ouran. Her real home, unfortunately she couldn't go to, since her family was cautious about people following her back there, so they bought her a small apartment in a shared use building. Coincidentally, she lived right next door to Fujioka Haruhi. Haruhi took that time to spend some time to getting to know Ren, and soon enough, they became trusted friends, able to share secrets with each other, and knowing the other would never tell anyone else.
Ren found out about Haruhi's little gender related secret when visiting her apartment, too. She'd looked around, then snooping in her closet, and finding girls' clothing. Haruhi was cringing the whole time while Ren asked about the feminine attire. Then, Haruhi couldn't help but spill the beans. Ren promised she would keep it a secret though, because, there was no point in telling someone else about it.
Ren's relationship with the Host Club wasn't that bad either. She'd gotten on good terms with Tamaki, with a friendship not so deep like hers and Haruhi's, but it was still an adequate bond. With the twins, Ren decided herself that she would ignore their mischievous ways, and forget about the pranks they pull (unless, of course, if they decide to let her help out). There was a complete concord with the Hitachiin brothers. Her association with Ootori Kyouya was much like Tamaki's. Every time Ren visited the Host Club (which was every day, although she never really noticed it), she constantly designated him, and she couldn't lie, she was quite attracted to the dark haired man. Haninozuka was a friendly boy, so whenever he saw Ren, he would leap, and give her a big hug. He'd assumed that she was more than just a customer, for reasons unknown. Honey only felt that way, and he couldn't explain why he felt so close to Ren. Not that Ren minded; she enjoyed being a part of his circle of friends. Lastly, her alliance with Morinozuka Takashi was not what she had exactly wanted. He was an abnormally quiet person, and held a straight expression every minute of every day. Ren tried to strike a few conversations with him, to break the ice, but he never really answered properly. One worded sentences couldn't possibly be a proper conversation.
And Ren still couldn't ram the fact that all of them were insanely rich.
Soon, Sunday came around the corner, and Haruhi woke up early. It was her usual habit. Ren, on the other hand, embraced her sleep, appearing as if she wouldn't wake up anytime soon. Everyday, back in the city, her relatives would wake her up early to begin her chores, like everyone else in the family did. 3am was the latest her household would wake up, so to finally sleep in was an excellent feeling, she felt incredibly happy that she didn't have to do chores in the morning. That was, until, her phone began to ring loudly. Ren groaned, her hand blindly hitting her bedside table, searching for her cell. She got her hands on it by the sixth ring, and she answered it, groggily saying, "…Hello?"
"Ren?" A familiar voice on the other line asked.
Ren immediately sat up, rubbing her left eye. "Obaachan?"
"Ah, good. You're awake. Have you made yourself at home at Ouran Academy? Is everything fine?" Her grandmother asked.
Ren nodded, forgetting to realize that she couldn't see her. "Yes, Ouran Academy is good. I've made a few friends."
"That's nice. Now, I know you're wondering what your mission is, right?" She questioned.
"Well… I've been asking myself that since I first got here. What am I supposed to be doing?" Ren wondered aloud.
"We were waiting until you got comfortable in your new school before we told you," Her grandmother began. "That way, you wouldn't get any suspicions by students or teachers. We've heard about how intelligent these children are, so you can never be too careful."
"Alright then…?" She replied, not very sure where this was heading.
"Anyway, I want you to act very subtle about this. If you get carried away, someone will notice. And they will report you, and send you to prison, with your father," Her grandmother strictly told her.
"My father has nothing to do with this mission, Obaachan. Please, just tell me what I'm supposed to do," Ren sighed, hating the way her grandma talked about her father. She always talked about the bad times with him, but he was a good guy. He just hardly showed it, but Ren knew; her father was a good man.
"You must assassinate Morinozuka Takashi,"
"Mori… What!? Why!?" She was shocked. She wouldn't have gone on this mission in the first place if she had to murder somebody.
"It's a long story, Ren,"
"I've got the time. Tell me! I can't hurt him without a good enough reason!"
She heard her grandmother take a deep breath on the other line. "Let's just say that the Morinozuka family isn't on good terms with ours."
"And?" Ren urged. "What did they do so badly that our family wants to kill one of theirs?"
"Erm… It's really hard to explain, Ren."
"Then explain it! Why won't you tell me!?" Ren cried, disliking her grandmother's stubbornness.
She then heard her grandmother mumble distantly, "Here. Your sister wants to know why she has to kill Morinozuka. Tell her. I can't tell her!"
"Obaachan?"
"Hello?"
"Tatsuro?" Ren asked, now hearing a deeper voice take over the speaker.
"Uh, hey, sis. So… How's it going in Ouran? Rich snobs, am I right?" Tatsuro's voice seemed hesitant, and with little nervousness.
"Tell me why you want me to kill him! Now! Stop stalling!" She interrogated, beginning to get peeved.
"Ugh. Will you just do it!? It's got all this information and crap, and I'm really not fucked to tell you all about it," Her brother answered, obviously already pissed off.
"Then I guess I won't do it," Ren spat back.
She heard him scoff. "You don't want to do that, Ren. Disobey us, and we will all go after you. We might just kill you for disobeying us."
Ren was then caught off-guard. "You can't be serious. I've been with the clan for my whole life. You can't kill me!"
"Yes, we can. We've done it to other members who decided to disobey us. Do your job. Kill Morinozuka and we'll welcome you back warmly with no murderous intent," Tatsuro ordered harshly, and then hung up on her.
Ren stared blankly at her cell phone, not believing what she just heard. Kill Morinozuka Takashi? She would never, ever, kill somebody. Only at times where she had no other choice. She had a choice here.
Either murder Mori, or get murdered.
Totally a win-win situation. Not. At once, Ren felt a headache rush in, a sign that she was feeling stressed and irritated. "Crud. Crud, crud, crud…" She muttered to herself.
Suddenly, her front door started to be hit upon obstreperously. Ren stood up, not in the greatest mood, but still managed to tie her hair back and rinse her mouth (in an attempt to get rid of that stupid morning breath) before opening the wooden door. And there stood the Host club, with an irritated looking Haruhi.
"Uh… hello?" Ren mumbled.
"My princess! Why are you still in your pajamas! It is already noon!" Tamaki bellowed, smiling hugely.
Ren glanced at her wall clock, and it was barely past 12. "Um, I needed to sleep in, that's all. So… why are you here?" She questioned, not exactly wanting to hear their reasons.
"We decided to visit Haruhi's house, and then we found out that you lived next door! Isn't it great!?" Tamaki grinned, being abnormally excited today.
Ren shook her head. "That's… nice to hear. Uh, I would welcome you inside, but… I'm planning to go out today."
"Where?" The twins spoke up, having a bit of a cheeky glint in their eyes and smirks.
Ren shrugged, estimating what they might do if they found out where she was going. "Oh, no where in particular. I just have to visit somebody today."
"Who?" The twins asked again, determined to know the answer.
"Just a relative," Ren replied, hoping she wasn't giving too much away.
"…Sounds boring," They answered, faking their yawns.
She nodded. "Don't try to do anything too mischievous today, you two," Then she glanced at Haruhi with sympathy, knowing that she would be stuck with them for the rest of the day. "Please don't give Haruhi a hard time. Oh, and Haruhi?"
Haruhi looked up, trying to plaster a smile on her face when she visibly couldn't. Not when the Host Club was there to annoy her. "Yes?"
"Cute clothes," Ren lifted the corner of her lips, and then waved goodbye to everyone else before closing the door on them.
Ren sighed, knowing just who to take a visit to after she took a shower and changed. Walking through the town, she took a train to Tokyo city. Little did she know, the Host Club followed her inconspicuously, thanks to the twin's persuasion. Once getting off the train, Ren walked in silence through the crowds of the city, then finding a taxi to take her to Tokyo Detention Center.
She went inside to show them the visiting order, and once they let her in, she took a seat in front of the glass, holding the black phone to her ear. Her father, Shinoda Kenichi, took a seat on the other side of the glass, and once taking the phone, he said, "What are you doing here? People will find out you that you know me."
Ren shook her head. "What's this deal about the Morinozuka family?"
Her father stiffened, then muttering to himself, "I told them not to take you on that mission."
"What did they do?" Ren asked again, a little louder than last time.
Kenichi breathed. "…Our clan had bribed them generations ago to keep a murder they'd witnessed a secret. It was one of the more violent fights, we weren't expecting it to be so rough. So we gave them the money, but they still reported it to the authorities. They stole our money, so we'll steal one of them."
"Money?" Ren repeated. "This is about money? How much are you talking about here?"
"Ten million yen," He answered.
"Ten million!?" She gasped. "All that, just to keep a secret?"
"It was almost everything we had. It was a pretty big fight, Ren. After we found out they told the police, half of our clan was arrested, the other half hid away," Kenichi mumbled.
Ren cringed. "…I don't want to kill him, father."
"You'll have no choice but to," He said, shifting in his seat. "Unless you want to be killed by your own family members."
"He's my senpai."
"They're your family."
She stopped breathing for a moment, and frowned. "But I'm not the one who's to kill. Couldn't they just get someone else to do it?"
"They know that you're the one he'll trust," Kenichi told her, as if it were supposed to make her feel better.
"…I'll see you later, dad," Ren murmured, setting the phone back in its place, and leaving the room.
Ren exited the large building, random thoughts racing through her mind. She thought it was ridiculous that they would fight because of money. At that moment, she was confronted.
"Shinoda… Ren?" A voice said behind her. "Shinoda… No wonder that surname sounded so familiar…"
She turned around, then looking face to face with the Ouran Host Club. "W-What are you guys doing here!?"
"We heard everything," The twins told her solemnly, holding up an earphone, and pointing at a wire on her shirt they previously placed on her on the train.
Ren inhaled quickly, throwing the wire onto the ground. "So you know that he's my father. Big whoop."
"This topic isn't to be taken lightly, Ren. Shinoda Kenichi is the leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi family," Kyouya called out. "You do realize he's the leader of the most powerful clan of the Yakuza, correct?"
Ren clenched her fists. "Of course I know that. Does it hurt to have a father that is coincidentally the leader of a Yakuza family?"
"It doesn't hurt. The fact that you want to kill Mori-senpai does," Tamaki said.
Ren's eyes widened. "I-I wasn't going to kill him! I really wasn't! I'd rather be killed than to kill Mori-senpai!" She felt the back of her eyes burn. She detested it when she was confronted with the truth. Every time she was, she would cry.
"And how can we believe you?" Kyouya asked.
She bit her bottom lip. "…I'll do anything. Absolutely anything to win your trust again."
The Host Club members glanced among themselves, and looked over at Kyouya, who nodded. "Very well then… Work for the Host Club until graduation. You must obey our every order no matter what we ask, and we will trust you."
Ren took a small glimpse at Mori, who was unemotional, but behind those dark eyes, you could see the tiniest tinge of hurt. She gave a defeated sigh. "Absolutely anything… Fine."
Kyouya smirked, pushing his sleek glasses back with his index finger, just like the first time they met. Suddenly, Ren disliked Kyouya's new attitude. Maybe it was the Kyouya who hunted for customers she was falling for. But this, this was definitely the real Kyouya. And she hated it, so much, she couldn't describe how much irritation this guy caused her, just by one request.
So what if Kyouya was perhaps one of the wealthiest people in Japan? Shinoda Ren was the daughter of one of the most powerful Yakuza leaders in the country. She could take on Kyouya, despite the policemen he may have hired. She could start a war between the criminal world, and the justice world. It was all so easy.
…I guess Ootori Kyouya has finally met his match.
I've decided that I will stick with this Ouran fanfiction xD Hope you readers enjoyed this chapter! I will, of course, be working on my other ones, but I've been reminiscing the good times with Ouran, and couldn't help but write about it XD This time, it's Kyouya and Tamaki 8D So, pretty please review so that I know what you guys think! I will write the next chapter, depending on what you guys think about this! So please, with a well-made cosplay on top, PLEASE REVIEW~!