A/N: Hi! Hope you're having a great week and thank you so much for reading! I'm honestly a bit scared of posting this one since I'm accustomed to writing depressing one-shots, so I guess you could say this is a first (okay, so a second or third) for me. I just thought it would be cute to pair Mori with a blind girl since he often gets overlooked as nothing more than this silent, attractive guy and someone missing their sight would have to look past that. So we'll see how it goes. :) For future reference, this story will probably have 3-5 parts total, (I've already written close to three, but I'm still working on the ending), and I'll probably update pretty soon depending on my schedule and what you guys think of it. I'm actually a bit embarrassed by how fluffy the ending is, but I guess I'll try not to freak out about bearing my soul on the internet just yet. :) If you have any questions, critiques, or advice, I would love to hear from you as always. Either way, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Thank you, and have a wonderful day!

-Echo :)

(Ps, Italics indicate inner dialogue.)

Seeing Through Your Silence

Part 1: The Silent Type and the Sightless Girl

It had always been the role of a host to make every woman happy, but before Haruhi Fujioka showed up, the members of the Ouran High School Host Club had never considered that it might go the other way around. Since the start of the school year, things had changed drastically simply because the strange, tomboyish commoner was there. And then a few months ago, when it seemed that life at the club couldn't get any better, yet another new addition landed at their doorstep when their only female member showed up with an unlikely new friend.

"Suzu. Suzu Akamine."

A shy girl, but one who would come to surprise them more than occasionally, the young lady walked straight past the gilded door frame and into their hearts. With a timid smile and a ready laugh, the blonde immediately seemed to fit in.

In truth, she probably would have been a guest like any other if she hadn't known Haruhi's secret from the moment she'd walked into the brunette's class. She'd almost spoiled that bit of information without even realizing it with a single, absent-minded comment.

Haruhi just looked surprised and nodded dismissively, but the twins cornered her in the hallway and asked her how she knew. She told them it was all in the voice. Appearance didn't matter to Suzu. Without the added deception of sight, Haruhi was female, through and through.

The girl was blind, though from the way she acted, you might never know it. The first week was rough, trying to memorize the layout of the school. But once she had, getting around wasn't too difficult. Still, she usually walked to class with Haruhi, who'd taken a particular liking to her. She wasn't anywhere as loud or obnoxious as most of the maidens at this stupid rich people school.

And gradually, the rest of the Host Club grew to love her too.

Honey was a given, seeing as he loved anyone who loved sweets half as much as he did, and she had a habit of bringing homemade cookies to school. Tamaki called her his little princess, which wasn't so unusual for him, but the fact that she brought out the cutest and best in Haruhi made her that much more adorable. Hikaru and Kaoru knew she was good for a prank and a laugh, so they put up with her, and Kyoya… well, he was always difficult to read, but at least he kept his death glares to a minimum whenever she was around. The club manager, Renge, was the only one who ever said anything less than flattering about her, and the worst she'd managed to come up with was that she could be a bit bland.

But Mori… He was the only one who'd never spoken to the girl. Not a word. Not that he said much to anyone, but he hadn't even been introduced to her. Staring across the clubroom as the Hosts greeted her that first day, her eyes smiling softly above the palest pink tint of her cheeks, he hadn't had a chance to speak to her then, and somehow couldn't even now. He'd thought he'd have to face her eventually, but when he'd learned that she was blind, the delay period had lengthened considerably. So he'd kept his distance, and it was safe to assume she didn't know he existed.

They might as well have been in different universes, the silent type and sightless girl. Suzu and Mori, the two members of the Host Club whose worlds would never meet.

But that didn't mean he wasn't aware of it as he looked up from his tea, charcoal gaze scanning the crowded music room during the height of Host Club activities that afternoon. Across the sea of skirts and slacks, the door squeaked open and a pair of flats stepped in, carrying with them the girl with eternal sunlight on her face.

"Mori, what is it you're always staring at? Ooh, I've always loved that far away look in your eyes!" gushed the girl across from him, drawing him out of his own fantasies in favor of hers.

The stoic grunted, draining his cup and saying the first thing that came to his mind. "Mitsukuni."

"That's right! Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai are related. They're the cutest cousins I've seen, for sure. One so innocent and the other so strong! It's almost cruel to have so many handsome boys in one family, you know."

Without meaning to, Mori sighed, causing the girl who'd just interjected to look up at him, surprised as usual to discover that the witheringly gorgeous gentleman before her was more than a compliant brick wall. But he was too distracted to wonder if she was offended by his obvious disinterest.

That's the problem, isn't it? He thought solemnly, ruffling his unruly, dark fringe to a chorus of swooning princesses. I'm just a front to these girls. Good-looking, silent, and strong.

Setting his teacup on the coffee table, he was about to excuse himself to get another pot when Honey leaped up on the couch beside him, wrapping him in a hug.

"Takashi!" the teen bubbled. Seeing in the look on his face what anyone else would have taken for normal, the blonde stopped short. "Are you okay, Taka-chan?"

Mori smiled without meaning it. Even if he hadn't been in the habit of keeping his problems to himself to protect both his cousin and his own interests, now wouldn't have been a good time for a heart-to-heart. Besides, it went against his nature to upset Honey.

"I'm fine," he deadpanned. He knew immediately that the loli wasn't buying it, but to the boy's everlasting credit, he didn't press the issue.

"That's good, because Tama-chan says we have to end early today. We're getting our assignments for the fall festival. I'm ordering the cakes, Takashi!" Mori's eyes widened ever so slightly. He'd forgotten all about that.

"Goodbye," he said simply, bowing to each lady in turn as he took her hand. Once the scene before him was colored in variegated pinks, he hoisted his cousin on his broad shoulders and strolled to the red couch where they typically conducted club business.

One by one, the remaining guests trickled out and the Hosts gathered. When most of them were accounted for, Mori felt someone bump him from behind. He turned, startled, as Suzu faltered and mumbled a hasty, blushing, "Sorry, Kyoya-senpai," before sidestepping him to take a seat on the end of the couch nearest him.

She thought he was Kyoya. He really was invisible.

But he didn't have time to dwell on it as the real Kyoya and a chattering Tamaki finally joined them.

"Alright men and princesses! Anyone have any ideas for this year's traditional Autumn Festival?"

Haruhi huffed from her place next to Suzu, regarding him blankly. "I thought this was only the second year you've held this event, senpai."

Tamaki looked like she'd hit him with a train and proceeded to cancel Christmas. He placed one hand over his chest and the other to his forehead. "My dear daughter, how do you suppose traditions are made? Ours is a great responsibility to show the Hosts of tomorrow how it was that we-"

As Tamaki burst into what was sure to be a moving monologue that most of the Hosts were likely to tune out, Mori found his attention drifting down to the one person who actually seemed enthralled.

"The boss sure knows how to entertain, doesn't he?" said the twin he thought was Kaoru, (judging by the part in his hair,) as he sidled up to Suzu.

"Yeah, his speeches are quite moving," interjected probably-Hikaru, perching between the two girls on the seam in the cushions. "But, I mean, at least with the other girls we know they're only paying attention to his looks. You can't even see him, and you're still grinning at him like those lovesick school girls."

"Would you guys shut up?" Haruhi frowned, swiveling to face them irritably. "You can't just say stuff like that. It's not nice to judge people that way."

"Not you, too," said Kaoru at the same time as Hikaru scowled. "I thought you'd at least have better sense than to take the boss seriously when he gets this way. Besides, Su doesn't mind."

"Yeah," echoed Hikaru, joining in. "One look at Tamaki-senpai and she'd go blind anyway."

Before Haruhi could scold them again, Suzu burst out laughing, causing the entire club to look over at her, Tamaki snapping his mouth shut mid-rant. Although she couldn't see their expressions, the weight of their eyes was enough to make her reach to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear self-consciously.

"Don't worry about it, Haru. They're only teasing. I'm sure Tamaki's as lovely of a person deep down as you've said, and the blind jokes don't bother me. It's more fun to imagine what you're always describing to me, anyway. Even when I know you're making some of it up."

"But we really did catch Kyoya kissing Renge," Hikaru said in a false, conspiratorial whisper.

"True story," Kaoru breathed directly into her ear, barely audibly from where Mori was standing.

"I did not say Tamaki was a lovely person, I said he wasn't so bad once you'd gotten to know him," moped Haruhi, reminding the twins of the phrase that had gone over their heads the first time around but which caused them to turn to her with identical terrifying expressions on their mischievous faces.

While the twins set to work playing with their favorite toy, (though they obviously cared about her, her reactions still made teasing her an entertaining game,) Mori watched as Suzu's eyes glazed over, a pleasant, faraway look on her face. Despite the chaos that broke out as a flustered, gushing Tamaki joined the Haruhi torture crew, and as Kyoya set about securing any valuables in the area, and as Honey leaped from his shoulders to try to calm down his excitable friends with the promise of cake, the girl seemed contented to simply take it all in. Contented simply to listen to the bizarre cacophony that tends to accompany a rowdy group of best friends.

"They're crazy, but I love them," she said so quietly that he was convinced she was talking to herself. Something inside of him flipped in his chest for unknown reasons until he remembered what should have been an inconsequential fact: She may care for the same people you do, but she doesn't even know who you are.

Realizing that it would probably be awhile before any planning took place, Mori quietly took a step back. Although he made no noise to speak of, Suzu swiveled around immediately, her protuberant blue irises shivering around the dead space before landing directly on his.

"Hello?" she asked, and he could almost see the cogs swirling around behind her eyebrows, which were knit in concentration.

He tried to speak, but the words didn't come. Hardly daring to breathe, he inched his way backwards through the door.

Though she didn't know how she knew it, Suzu could feel an unknown presence leave the room, just as she'd been able to sense it from the first time she'd been present when the club was all together. She didn't know why he'd never said a word or bothered to introduce himself, but she assumed he had his reasons. But for some reason, the vibe she'd been getting from the shadow this time was different. Without thinking about it too much, she stood from her seat and counted the footsteps she needed to reach the hall and follow him.

Once she was out in the corridor, the girl's senses went into hyperdrive as she attempted to discern by the echoing footfalls which way the voiceless host had gone. Deciding it was pointless to delay any longer once she'd stood motionlessly for a few minutes and failed to hear anything useful, she took a deep breath and headed left. It was the first time since she'd arrived that she'd wandered off the beaten path.

She had just turned a corner and was prepared to walk straight down it when she took a step, knocking into something hard. Two rough hands pushed against her shoulders, and next thing she knew, she found herself plummeting through thin air.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" growled the second year boy she'd run into, who'd shoved her aside on impact into an adjacent stairwell. Rolling down a short flight and landing hard on her ribcage, Suzu whimpered, clasping one arm around her stomach and the other against her head.

Before she could process what had happened, she heard a loud crunch followed by a shriek as a lump thudded beside her on the landing. A set of graceful footsteps followed the bundle who was now muttering profanities under his breath.

"Are you all right?" asked a deep, soothing voice, ignoring the cursing boy as he scrambled to his feet and took off running down another flight of steps She could feel the owner of the voice's body heat as he knelt beside her and tentatively lifted her to her feet.

"F-fine." She licked her lips and tasted the tangy flavor of blood, wishing her voice sounded steadier.

"Good," he said simply, gently lifting her the rest of the way and carrying her up the stairs. Too shocked to protest, she remained silent until he set her down. She could be wrong, but was his heart beating unusually fast? Or was that her own? With a cool hand, he reached up to check the bruise that was blossoming on her forehead. Seeming to decide it wasn't so bad, he intoned, "You'll be fine, but you should still have someone look at it. Think you can get home?"

"Yes. Thank you," she said softly. Although the gesture felt a bit out of place, she smiled up at him. "But, um… who are you?"

But when she reached out her hand to the spot where she expected the random stranger to be, he was gone. She hadn't heard his footsteps. Guessing as best she could, she counted her somewhat disoriented way back to the music room.

She felt a presence as she headed outside, too, after entering music room three to discover that the club members had gone. Her driver was waiting at the corner of the parking lot, and the feeling of being watched diminished after that, but something was still niggling at her mind all the way home. It wasn't until the next day after a mostly sleepless night that she figured out what it was, and it annoyed her that the answer was so obvious.

It wasn't some magical sixth sense that told her she knew the person that had helped her. He and the Ouran Host Club shadow had the same strange smell of cake mixed with fresh laundry soap.

Apparently, he had a voice after all.

X

Through the night, Mori's mind replayed the events outside the club: Walking out. Standing against a pillar near the window. Glancing over in surprise when Suzu appeared. Being one second too late when he saw her fall. Being harsher than usual with the boy who'd shoved her and flipping him onto his back down the said flight of stairs. Speaking to Suzu for the first time as he ensured her well-being and vanishing when he spotted Honey outside the music room. Telling his cousin he'd be a minute and walking Suzu out just in case she wasn't as fine as she said. Dwelling on the first smile she'd aimed directly at him the entire way home to bed.

Not sleeping. Seriously, what was wrong with him?

X

"Haru? Who just arrived?" Suzu questioned as her ears picked up the telltale squeaking of the door. Haruhi looked up from the pot of instant coffee she was filling and turned to the pair who'd just walked in.

"That's Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai. They're running late today."

"Mori-senpai?"

"Yeah, he and Honey-senpai are always together. Haven't you met him before?"

"Not until yesterday," Suzu admitted, flushing slightly. How long had she been oblivious?

"That's weird. I mean, I guess he doesn't say much, but he usually speaks up sooner or later and you have been here awhile."

Although Suzu wasn't a host in the typical sense and never accepted requests, she had become a regular fixture around the place. As much as she hated to admit it, Haruhi had a point.

"Never mind. I was just wondering," Suzu frowned slightly, thanking Haruhi when the brunette wrapped her fingers around a teacup.

"I can introduce you if you want. Hey, guys!" She began waving across the room before Suzu grabbed her arm.

"No, it's okay. There'll be time for that later," she said quickly. If Mori-senpai didn't want to talk to her, she wasn't about to force him. She understood all too well what it was like to be shy. "Right now we need to finish planning the festival decorations. How does a pile of tree confetti sound?"

Haruhi gave her a strange look and burst out laughing. "'A pile of tree confetti?' You mean, a leaf pile? In a ballroom?"

Suzu flashed her a cheesy grin. "Why not? You'd have to describe everyone's faces for me, though. They'd be priceless."

Across the room, the Host Club boys had cut off mid-conversation as the girl's giggling filled the room, Tamaki peering over the top of the couch with wet violet eyes, cooing. "Aw, she's so cute!"

"Yeah, she is," Mori said absently, causing everyone to look at him. Kyoya and Honey, the two most observant, doubted very much that the stoic and the prince had the same girl in mind. Sharing a glance, they had to admit… coming from a man who'd said even less that week than usual, it was an interesting development.

XXX

"Here, Takashi! It's time to try our costumes on!"

Bouncing past his cousin in a very bunny-esque manner, Honey shoved a silky black suit with crimson highlights into Mori's arms. Although the Host Club's suits were nearly identical, each had a small splash of color in the varied red, orange, and golden tints of fall.

"Might want to hurry!" The small, blonde teen sang, ducking behind the changing curtains. Mori sighed, fingering the fabric for a long moment before glancing up to find the bustling room of two minutes ago almost vacant.

Only one other person remained in the room while the others changed clothes, reading with her fingertips out of a large tome written in braille. Humming to herself, she flipped a page, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear in what he'd deemed was her signature way.

She, too, seemed jarred by the sudden silence as she lifted her head, staring unseeingly into all corners of the room. Against all odds, her vivid blue eyes locked onto his ashen pair, blinking as they bored into him. If this habit she had of finding him despite her blindness was a coincidence, it happened surprisingly often for mere chance.

He could almost see her mind reaching out to him, begging the shadow to come into view behind the dark sheen that sealed her off from that illuminated portion of the world. But she said nothing, did nothing, but stare. The swish of a curtain being pulled aside broke the stalemate after a long moment. To Mori's simultaneous relief and disappointment, Suzu seemed to take Kyoya's sudden appearance as her cue and went back to her book.

"Reading anything interesting, Su?" Kyoya inquired, perching elegantly on the arm of her chair. His glasses flashed as he peered over her shoulder to Mori and back again.

"Yes, actually," Suzu said, flushing slightly. "But I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be your thing."

"Oh?" Kyoya lifted an eyebrow amusedly.

"Not unless you're into glass-making."

"That's right. Your great-grandparents are the entrepreneurs who established the Akamine Glass Company centered in Japan and operating in smaller facilities around the world. I understand your particular branch of the family specializes in recovering and restoring eighteenth-century stained glass murals and artifacts, as well as running the Museum of 3D Arts out of Tokyo."

A fleeting expression of incredulity flickered over the girl's face as she peered up at him.

"Yes, but how do you know that?"

"Oh, I like to keep tabs on all of the members of the Host Club. Does that surprise you?"

"Maybe a little," she admitted honestly, to which he smirked.

"On another note, Miss Akamine, you are planning to attend the festivities this weekend, are you not?"

In the middle of making his unnoticed retreat into the changing room, Mori stopped short.

"No, not originally, but after what Haruhi told me about the last dance you hosted, I figure I'd better go along for moral support."

Suzu quirked her lips in an almost teasing way, and in a rare moment for the cool and calculating host, Kyoya chuckled.

"I'm glad to hear it." He squeezed her hand in lieu of a bow, peering sideways at Mori. "I'm sure Haruhi wouldn't be the only one disappointed if you had decided not to come."

Pulling the curtain aside with a louder shushing noise than he'd intended, the stoic strode out.

In the changing room, Mori sat for a long moment without changing anything. When he finally forced himself to move, it was at snail-speed. What was that about, anyway? Did Kyoya mean him? He was just ready for the festival to be over, if he was honest. He'd never really cared one way or another for crowds and loud parties, but still. This time, just the thought of attending made his stomach clench with nerves. He hadn't recognized the plan that had been formulating in his brain until somebody else had suggested it, if in a roundabout way. But maybe, under guise of the bustling guests, bright lights, festive air, and delicious smells, he hoped he'd finally find the right moment to talk to her. Maybe, overtaken by the overwhelming atmosphere, he'd finally find a few words worth saying.

When he stepped out, his attention was unintentionally drawn to the spot where she'd been sitting, but in the time it had taken him, she had gone. Dressed in a suit much like his but with gold trimming, Honey jumped on his back.

"Mitsukuni," he greeted.

"Oh, good, everyone's clothes fit!" The loli gushed. "Now let's change back so we can have some cake!"

"..." Mori sighed internally. Of course.

X

*Short backwards time skip.*

"I'm glad to hear it," said Kyoya approvingly. Suzu felt a gentle pressure on her hand. "I'm sure Haruhi wouldn't be the only one disappointed if you had decided not to come."

Something about his tone told her there was more to that statement than he was saying, but she chose to ignore it. Hearing the shushing of a curtain being opened, she listened to determine whether it was someone going in or someone coming out. As she'd suspected, there was no indication of a new presence in the room. Someone had already been with her when she'd doubted whether she was truly reading alone.

Kyoya, it seemed, had gone temporarily silent, too. But after a prolonged moment, he spoke just quietly enough to make her wonder what made his low tone necessary.

"I hope you don't mind, Suzu, but I went to the liberty of ordering you something as well. I realize you won't be wearing the same costume as the rest of us, but you are a member of the Host Club, after all."

"You got me a costume?" Suzu repeated, curious and somewhat touched.

"Unless, of course, you had already planned on wearing something else," he amended, but she shook her head.

"It's not like I care or know what I look like, anyway, and I'd be honored to match you guys. Thank you, Kyoya-senpai."

Thinking it rude to ask but anticipating a response that would answer the question 'What's the catch?' she waited, but it never came. Curiosity finally getting the best of her when she felt his weight shift, she grabbed his arm.

"Come on, Kyoya-senpai. What do you want?"

"Oh, you'll find out, but it's not your debt to repay," he said cryptically, a mischievous edge to his voice. He could be kind of terrifying, honestly.

"What? Well, thank you, anyhow, senpai."

"...You know, I don't know why he's so intimidated by you, Miss Akamine, darling as you are," Kyoya said after a pause, scrutinizing her with his sharp eyes and catching the girl off guard.

"Oh, and here's your dress," he added, handing her a somewhat large box. "If I ordered the incorrect size, please inform me and I'll exchange it for you."

Ruffling her hair in parting, he clicked his pen and began taking notes in the little black book that the others confirmed was full of his deepest secrets. Gathering her books into her bag, Suzu clutched the box to her chest and counted her way to the car waiting to take her home.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Oh, and were they in character? I always wonder these things. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Also, I know it starts out a bit slow, but I promise they'll get a chance to really interact in part 2 and it'll (hopefully) be worth it. :) Have a lovely week!