She sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. All of her plans of studying for mid-terms had been thrown out of the window when she'd found herself dragged onto an adventure by the Lobelia Girls' Academy Zuka Club. When she'd heard of how they were in need of a new assistant manager, she hadn't seen the harm. It would have helped put extra credits towards her college applications.
Yet with the arrival of the Zuka Club's annual visit to the prestigious Ouran Academy, for another performance, she'd been asked to attend. The three heads of the Zuka Club, or better know as, "The White Lily League" had spurted on their dislike towards men and how other-worldly they were during the trip between schools. Amakusa-san would do the usual bouts of over zealous flirting to her fans, with her two leading ladies not far behind.
"Ah, my dear Tsukiko-san, why the distraught sighs? Is it not a fine day to be proud of?" Benio had questioned.
Tsukiko shrugged at the memory and went back to the papers laid out in front of her. Balancing budgets and making sure everyone was on schedule, these were only a few things her job consisted of. Outside of the room she was currently stationed at, ruckus sounded. Voices, commands, and shrieks resonated from the auditorium next door.
Tsukiko bit her lip from shouting any negative comments about the noise. Instead she buried herself deeper into her job. Spinning around in her chair, she reached for the file cabinet behind her to look at the list of students that would be attending the day's performance. Not deemed mandatory by Ouran's chairman, more of the female populations had signed on.
Frantic shouts came from outside of the room. Tsukiko's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden shouts. Getting up and opening the door, she ran into Benio.
"Ah, just the maiden we were looking for. We need your help with a little project," the zuka president said after righting Tsukiko.
She quirked any eyebrow at her senpai but nodded.
"Splendid! Now, we need you to be a stand-in for one the female singers while she rests in the infirmary. Seems she hasn't gotten enough rest in the past few days and has tired her voice out. Do you think you can pull it off, little one?" Benio seemed to put in her usual charm while saying this but seemed serious enough, so Tsukiko complied.
"What do you need me to sing?"
Benio began on explaining to Tsukiko what she would be doing. Wanting to get the right vibe in. Dress rehearsals would be taking place as well, so Tsukiko would be stuck wearing the costume intended for the performance day. Once again, Tsukiko sighed and thought to herself, "how did I let myself get roped into this?"
xXx
About two hours later, Tsukiko was wondering around the Ouran halls. She'd finished her paperwork and had put in a bit of practice for the performers. Luckily, she hadn't needed to sing today. Benio had requested a sudden break when a few male students had passed by the open auditorium doors.
Tsukiko could only imagine what the Zuka club president was doing now. Curious, she'd followed them but had wound up getting lost after a while. Now she found herself on the second floor wandering between classrooms and a library or two. She'd overheard two female Ouran students, talking about an abandon music room and had begun blushing and giggling before she'd lost interest.
Now, though, that seemed to perk her interest once more. Fiddling with her brown locks, she tied them back into her braid. She would need to redo the whole thing later.
Finding the music room hadn't been to hard. The distant sound of a piano being played had helped. When she turned a corner, Tsukiko found Benio, Chizuru, and Hinako, snooping out front of the music room doors.
"Um, Amakusa-senpai? What are you doing?"
Tsukiko's voice startled the three out of their whispered discussion. They straightened themselves before putting on smiles.
"Kaede-san, we were just about to visit a friend of ours," Chizuru said with a smile while passing a look between Benio and Hinako.
"Why don't you join us? We think you will like meeting her," Hinako added in.
Before Tsukiko could refuse, Hinako had grabbed the brunette's wrist, dragging her along with the three as they entered the music room.
A flurry of rose petals against a white background played before her icy eyes. Six males and a female dressed like a male student, sat posed in front of the four Lobelia girls.
"Welcome Ladies, to the Ouran Host Cl-
The blonde male paused his sentence as his face went stark white. He did a sort of high pitched shriek, his hand covering a partial space of his face before diving behind his companions.
Benio was smirking at the blonde's actions. Tsukiko seemed clueless but began looking over the members of this so called Host Club, there were seven members total. None stood out to her until her eyes landed on the twins.
Looking no more than maybe 16 years of age, both twins had spiky auburn hair, sharp amber eyes, and seemed to about 5'9". Their pale skin gleamed a bit with sweat. They kept close to one another and their arms were interlocked.
The twins caught her gaze and held. She broke away and looked to the ground. The twins looked at Tsukiko then at themselves, giving each other their oh, so famous smirk.
Benio, Chizuru, and Hinako started pestering the Host Club male members and coddling the only female member. The brunette didn't know what to make of the whole situation, so instead, she looked around the abandoned music room.
A marvelous white piano sat off to the side. Tsukiko stared at the piano with a bleak expression. She turned around and ran for the door, bumping between the twins and the White Lily League.
The other three Lobelia girls' did not seem to take notice in their schoolmate's disappearance. The twins, however, watched the brunette leave.
"Hey boss..." One of the twins spoke
"Yes Kaoru?" The blonde male spoke.
"Hikaru and I have something we need to do, we'll be back," Kaoru said. He and Hikaru walked out of the music room trailing after the brunette.
xXx
Finding the Lobelia girl had been harder than the twins had thought. They'd searched the many levels of the school. Classroom after classroom, the auditorium, grand hall, and lunch room. The twins even dared to peek into a few girls' bathrooms, to no avail did this work and only caused a few unseen slaps to the face. Only when they heard a small voice singing did the venture across her. She sat under one of the many trees that aligned the school.
Who would've guessed she'd been outside all this time? Finally their tiresome search had bared it's ripened fruit.
The brunette was spaced out and laid atop one of the low hanging branches on the oak tree. It seemed she would hum similar tune every now and again, and words would spill from her lips in audible whispers.
"Kaoru, what are we waiting for?" Hikaru persisted his other half. He had not been quite sure what he and his twin had been doing as they followed the warm trail of the lobelia girl. He didn't see the major picture.
The girl did not seem to hold many special traits. She wore a baggy beige sweater over the Lobelia Academy uniform and rimmed glasses that hid her eyes starkly well. Her brown hair, although nice in color, remained woven in a long braid.
Nothing really stood out with this new character, so the big question remained: why had they followed this girl?
"Patience Hikaru, there is something about this girl..." Kaoru trailed off, not quite sure what to say.
The twins put their gazes back to the girl.
xXx
Tsukiko hummed a bit more with a softer lilt, matching to one the bird's many notes. She tuned in a few random words to goof of with the melody now and again. Opening her eyes, the brunette shucked her glasses from her face, rubbing them to regain sight after staring at the sun.
The shade did not seem to do much about the escalating temperature. Even under it's protection Tsukiko would not risk the chance of being exposed.
She heard a rustling a few feet back and peered over to see spiked hair sticking out against the faded green foliage. She chuckled but kept herself weary of the two.
Jumping down, she slid her glasses back on and walked deeper into the courtyard. Not surprisingly, the twins followed her. When she slowed down, they lagged behind as well. When she sped up, they quickened their pace.
Fifteen minutes of endless wandering and being stalked by the twins, Tsukiko began to become both agitated and annoyed. She finally began to sprint to any place where the twins were not. To no avail, could she shake them.
Making a sharp right, Tsukiko saw a fountain a few feet away. She directed her attention back towards the empty space behind her. The auburn haired boys were no where in sight. The brunette finally sighed in relief and slowed her pace to a walk.
Her lungs burned from the exertion of energy and gruesome running. She never really did like to do physical activities. She peered over the fountain's edge to catch a glimpse of her flushed face. She seemed a little pink but no worse for the wear.
Looking up a little more she saw the twins. Right. Behind. Her.
Tsukiko let out a shriek and lost hold of her grip. She tumbled into the fountain before the twins could even move in to help her.
A thundering splash was made and droplets of water dove everywhere.
The brunette raised herself back to the surface and fumed at the two males. She opened her mouth to spew out a very colorful sentence but then noticed the amused looks on the two.
"You two think this is funny?"
The twins shook their heads but could not keep from snorting at the girl's appearance. Her clothes clung to her thin form, her hair was disheveled and stuck out in odd angles, and her glasses were in an askew form upon her face.
Tsukiko fumed even more and began to step out of the fountain. She reached for the buttons of her sweater and stripped of it. Throwing it at one the twins' heads. Their was a slap and shout and Tsukiko knew it had hit one of the two.
She reached around for her braid and undid it, letting her hair fall out so she could ring it out. She also took her glasses of, reminding herself to clean them later.
Ringing out the last of the water from her hair, she felt herself shiver and let a sneeze out. She glanced back and looked at the two, one twin glared at her while the other stared.
"Aren't one of you at least nice enough to offer a soaking wet girl your jacket?" Tsukiko let the question hang out to dry as she turned around.
Not only was one twin staring now, both were.
"Just great, two orange-haired imbeciles..." Tsukiko thought. She harrumphed in a loud manner and moved, knocking the twins' heads together with a slap.
They winced at the impact and rubbed their heads lightly.
"What was that for, four-eyes?!" Hikaru blurted out in an angrier manner. Tsukiko flamed and fumed at the nickname he had given her.
Kaoru played peace maker and pushed his twin back a few paces. Even if his head throbbed with a short-lived headache, he had understood why the brunette had done such a thing.
Hell, had he been in her place, he'd done worse. They'd been gawking like new born fawn in headlights, while the poor girl stood there soaking and in this scorching temperature, no less. She'd have contracted a cold in only a day or two.
"Is there anything you two have gained from stalking me throughout your entire academy?"
"Other than an amusing scene and a throbbing head, no I have not," Hikaru retorted, "I would like to know, however, why you are trespassing on our school grounds."
Tsukiko fiddled with the pass around her neck and pulled it up for the twins to see. Although soggy and still dripping, it showed her I.D. and the permission of her to be there.
"I am the assistant for the Zuka Club of Lobelia Girls Academy. If you can see from this," She waved the badge in front of them," I am authorized to be here for the next few days."
Hikaru drew back a bit as if the I.D. had slapped him and silenced, but continued to glare at the girl. Kaoru only shook his head at his twin, while mumbling an apology to the brunette.
Tsukiko moved to gather her things, and started for the school. The twins followed her, as they were probably needed back at the club.
The brunette could hear the twins mutter to themselves and when she craned her head back a fraction, could see the younger twin chastising his older sibling. The older male, Hikaru if she recalled, was slumping his shoulders and making a sour face. She giggled a bit and turned back towards the front.
She heard Kaoru's voice stop and she risked another look back at the two. They were both once again staring at her. Hikaru was somewhat glaring and clearly had a brush of fresh blush upon his face while Kaoru was attempting at a half-smirk.
The younger of the two twins pushed his sibling forward, straight towards Tsukiko. Her eyes widened a fraction and she moved to step back. Hikaru seemed very reluctant to come towards her.
When he wasn't blabbering profuse insults, he was actually kind of cute. He crept up to her and stopped with only inches between them.
Kaoru continued walking and went past them, giving the two a smile before agreeing to meet Hikaru back at the music room. Once again, he offered an apology to Tsukiko, and smiled kindly. She nodded her head in return and gave a small smile. Accidents, no matter how idiotic or embarrassing, will happen.
When he was out of sight, they were stuck in a maximum silence. Hikaru looked upon Tsukiko's face and caught her eyes. They reflected his own intensely amber ones.
He could make out the slight flush on her face and began to smile a bit on the inside. He began to open his mouth, but no immediate sound permitted itself freedom.
"Um...maybe we should start heading back, your friends must be looking for you...I still have paperwork to finish too..." Tsukiko made an awkward input to the redhead. He closed his mouth and scratched at the back of his head nervously.
Tsukiko waited for a reply from the teen, but all she received was the scene of the amber-eyed male smacking a fist into his open palm. An expression of obviousness and glee stained his face.
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a red flip phone, snapping it open and putting his gaze over to the brunette. He held it out to her and waited. Aspirated as to what he would want, Tsukiko took the phone and look pointedly at him.
Hikaru removed his jacket and placed it around Tsukiko's shoulders. The girl's eyes widened in surprise at his actions.
"I'm not such a jerk, that I'll let you get sick. Besides, you'd just hunt me down and blame me for causing it anyway."
The brunette's cheeks flushed a shade darker and she mumbled a thank you to the teen. She extended her hand out to give him the cell phone back. He took it from her.
He rolled his sleeves up and loosened the tie around his neck.
"I don't know why they insist on having school during such a warm front." Hikaru began kneading the back of his neck and sighed. His eyes went back to the brunette and her state of dress. Though she was still dripping, the heat was taking care of most of the wetness.
Still, she could not be left in those damp clothes in this scorching heat, the weather was not suitable for her condition. Her body temperature would only rise in feverish temperatures. He would feel bad if she was left to her own devices like this.
He tugged on her shirt and spoke.
"Let's get you a change of clothes before you start to get sick."
Tsukiko nodded and followed the redhead back trough the school doors ad into a hallway. They walked in a silence or as silent as it could get when there were other students bustling about, heading to classes or lunch, or looking for friends. Some stopped to stare at Hikaru, mainly females.
A few came to stop and greet him, hearts in their eyes and their voices squeaked up an octave.
Having stopped for more than five minutes by a regular group of customers from the host club, the brunette girl became aspirated.
Hikaru glanced back towards the Lobelia student and bid the Ouran females a farewell. They sighed but bid their dreamy goodbyes to the redhead.
"Sorry about that," he commented to Tsukiko's aspirated look. He have a sheepish smile and scratched the back of his head.
"Let's just go."
xXx
"Would you just come out already? Do I have to come back in there?" Hikaru smirked at the last question. The last occurrence of that had proven to be interesting.
The red hand print that was still very evident on his face was proof of that.
Tsukiko let out a growl and flung the curtains back. Out she stepped clad in the official female Ouran uniform. The high collared yellow dress, the white stockings. The only exception was the calf high brown boots she wore. She looked like she was from Ouran.
The brunette tied her hair up into a high ponytail and gave Hikaru a look that spoke volumes of anger.
He snorted.
Tsukiko stalked out of the changing room and made her way into the hallway, figuring she'd start back on her long walk to the auditorium.
That effort was made futile when Hikaru grabbed the poor girl's arm and stopped her trek. Another growl emitted from the girl as she turned her head slowly to the ginger's face. A menacing cloud hung about her head in exaggeration to her darkening mood.
Hikaru felt a bead of sweat roll down his face, but he did not budge.
"What is it you feel is so necessary to keep me here? I have other duties to tend to besides playing as a companion to a stuck-up ouji-sama."
The auburn-haired teen felt his eye twitch at the poorly executed insult, but held his ground.
They made their way back to the host club in a prickling sort of silence.
xXx