Chapter 1
He knew from the very beginning what he wants and he is clear of it. Therefore, he works very hard to excel above his elder brothers to prove his abilities and capabilities. For all the effort he invested and will be investing, he would not let small matter such as a silly crush to be on his way. This is why Tamaki is the one with her now; not him. He turned back at the mahogany door that separated him and the other two; perhaps I over-estimated your influence over me, Haruhi.
~break~
Clear sky soared over the Bunkyo this morning and birds happily greeting their morning with harmonious chirps. Outside of a public hospital, a girl parked her bicycle and rushed into the wards; happily greeting the staffs that she grew accustomed to.
"Grandma?" a platinum head peeked through the curtain.
"Morning, Yuri," greeted an old lady happily. The platinum head walked out of the ward's veil with a cheerful smile and hugged her grandmother.
"How are you doing grandma?" she asked with her gentle and quiet voice. She wouldn't want to disturb the neighbours.
"I'm fine, dear; just a little tired. The doctor said the report will be out this afternoon."
"Alright then. I brought you some bento. Nothing much though, Nagasaki-sensei said you can only eat light food," Yuri said placing a small bento beside her bed. They exchanged a few more words before Yuri left for school. Her grandmother looked at her retreating back and shook her head. How she wish that she could see her grow.
~break~
Tamaki was busy chattering away in his usual flamboyance as Kyoya walked with him. Class is starting soon and most of the students are walking along the corridors to their homeroom. He looked at his watch, approximately one minute before the bell rings; they better fasten their pace. From the opposite side, a platinum-haired girl was squeezing through the students in a rush, "Excuse me, thank you. Excuse me, sorry!"
She was not wearing the typical school uniform; instead, she was wearing a pair of black jeans, loose-fitting blue buttoned up shirt (which its long sleeves were folded up till her elbows) over another seemed to be tank top. Her hair tied up in a high ponytail with a few strands running wild. She was turning to the back to apologize to some random student when a bench was carried out crossing right in the middle of her way. He also noticed that she was relatively taller than girls of her age.
Kyoya stopped his footsteps and anticipated for the crash but it did not happen. In one swift movement, the girl hoisted herself over the bench and somersaulted over the bench. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized once again, bowing to the maintenance worker before running off. It was only a brief moment that Kyoya and the girl passed each other.
Tamaki applauded and said something like, "What a move! So flexible!" Kyoya can't be sure because he himself was astounded by her agility… and the black eyes that were filled with life.
~break~
The Host Club is preparing for the day as usual with the normal (it's abnormal actually) antics. However, despite the usual routine of Hani-senpai chomping down his cakes, he was sulking and being depressed over his lost Usa-chan. Kyoya already ordered his private police to search through the whole school; Hani-senpai's depression would turn the profit 'depressing' too.
While the entire Host Club tried to cheer the petite senior, the Third Music Room's door creaked open earlier than usual; it signifies another unexpected, unwanted circumstances to Kyoya.
"Excuse me, is Haninozuka-senpai in?" asked a quiet yet unwavering voice from the door.
"Come in," greeted (more like ordered) Kyoya. Apparently, it was the platinum-haired girl again. Kyoya had a bad-feeling about this. She walked in with a familiar pink bunny in her hands. Now, he could estimate her height was about 5'7 feet.
"USA-CHAN!" and blonde crashed into a platinum head.
"Ouch!" cried the poor girl. Kyoya and Mori walked over to them. Mori picked Hani up while Kyoya extended his hand to the girl whom he still doesn't know her name. She took it in a firm grasp and stood up.
"Why didn't you avoid Hani-senpai?" asked Kyoya. He knew she could have avoided no matter how fast Hani was. This time around, he had a closer look and more time to observe the girl's features. It was plain and of the average but the way she carried herself contributed very much to her attractiveness.
"Oh, because then he'll crash into the hard wall behind me. It's always better to crash into something soft than something hard," she explained offering a small smile, brushing off some dust from her clothes.
"Thank you very much! What is your name?" beamed Hani from Mori's shoulder. The rest of the Host Club was walking towards them.
"You're welcome. I'm Shirayuri Anderson. If there is nothing else, I would like to excuse myself," she said politely.
"Where are you going so early, Princess?" said two voices that crept beside her. She flinched a little and back off.
"I have some errands to run. So long!" and she sped off in the speed of light.
"That was the girl we saw this morning, Kyoya! The one with very cool move!" exclaimed Tamaki who finally snapped out of his trance.
"Well, congratulations on realizing it before sundown, Tamaki. Now will you excuse me," said Kyoya sarcastically pushing up his glasses, a habit he unconsciously adopted. He went back to his laptop. Tamaki snickered a little before saying, "Someone has caught Kyoya's interest it seems."
"Tono, don't be ridiculous. Only profits and benefits could catch his interest," rebutted Kaoru as he dragged Hikaru away.
~break~
She stood there numb with the news that Nagasaki-sensei reported to her. Her legs were stuck to the ground and her eyes stared into an empty space; her mind kept repeating the same words:
"I'm sorry Shirayuri-san, we could do nothing more about Saya-san's condition. Her liver has malfunctioned beyond repair."
Slowly, she dragged herself to her grandma. The latter greeted with her everlasting smile and gestured her to sit at the bed-side. She took her place and forced a smile on her face.
"So, how did it go?" asked the old lady. The smile drained off her face and words seemed to get stuck at Yuri's throat. Judging from the look on her granddaughter's face, she knew that it finally came. She took the young girl into her arms and hugged her. Gently, she whispered, "It's alright dear. I expected it. I'm not afraid of dying, you know. What I was more worried of are you."
Yuri broke in sobs. "Listen to me Yuri. I've fought and suffered long enough with this disease and I'm tired already. The fact that I'm leaving is not going to change and so what can we do is to just accept it with an open heart. It may be a goodbye between us but then again, there will be someday when we meet, right? Meanwhile then, I'll watch over you from heaven and be your guardian angel."
Yuri couldn't stop crying but she understood the situation; she just needed time to take in all these information.
~break~
Kyoya walked through the alleys of the gigantic library of Ouran Academy searching for the books that he needed for his assignments. His eyes scanning through the racks of books which are about twice his height. Unknowingly, his thoughts wonder to the information that he found regarding a certain girl. It was fairly hard to search as she was another average commoner that received a scholarship from Ouran. He needed to get into the student database before gaining for background information of Shirayuri Anderson.
She did receive a scholarship just like Haruhi but her circumstance was different; she was a sports scholar. Excelling in track running, she was also good in archery and home economics. Her records of competition showed that she never lost a match but due to certain circumstances, she never went for competitions outside the prefecture. He also got a few words from her middle school friends and records of her activity; he finds her somewhat interesting.
It was as though the person in mind heard his calling; she appeared right in front of him. She happened to be picking up some books from the psychology section. Whether it was his legs or his unconscious mind that made him do it, he approached her with his right hand in his pocket.
"Good afternoon, Shirayuri-san," he greeted with his trademark host smile.
"Good afternoon to you too, senpai. I'm sorry I didn't catch your name. If you don't mind, Yuri would be nice," she said in return thinking about the fakeness of his smile. It was as though she did not sleep for a whole week, she look more drained than she was last week; her eyes carried the feeling of strained.
"Ohtori Kyoya,Yuri-san. May I know what you are doing in this side of the library?" he asked.
"Oh, I was just picking up some side reading. Ouran Academy Library is really rich with book, especially books I would love to get my hands and eyes on."
"Despite your archery competition and your grandmother's condition, you could still find time to do extra reading; your ability amazes me Yuri-san," smirked Kyoya. He knew that he caught her unaware. Yuri's eyes widened before frowning and asked, "How do you know… Do you even know the meaning of privacy invasion, Mr. Stalker?"
"Mr. Stalker? That's new. However, it is one of my strength; digging out information about a person."
"You opened my eyes about the rumored Ohtori Kyoya, senpai. Never knew you have the capability to care for so many people," she commented sarcastically. He finds her surprisingly biting.
"I believe that your purpose of this conversation is not based solely on flashing your 'strength' right, Ohtori-senpai?" asked Yuri raising an eyebrow, clearly annoyed by his attitude.
"True. I read through your files and it showed that you have capabilities in handling project; coming from the success of a few that you led during middle school. I need an assistant to run errands that I could not or would not run," he said speculating her expression. She only looked at him with piercing black eyes.
"In return?"
"Your grandmother will be admitted into the Ohtori Hospital to see if there's anything further that we can do. Your resume will also look prettier in case you would like to go to New Zealand to further your studies and let's say… have a reunion?" offered Kyoya. He knew that she would accept it, he has no doubt. She stood there still looking at Kyoya while reasoning this whole exchange.
She closed her eyes and opened it after a while, "I see you have thought this through thoroughly and you will not compromise this deal. You already know my answer since it benefits me quite a lot. Why bother asking?"
"That's an intriguing notion, in its own way. How could you be so sure?" Kyoya asked folding his arms on his chest.
"Your posture, facial expression and tonality told me so. And you don't have to be so defensive over it. I do not know why you are offering me an exchange that benefits me more than you but I will not question you further. Need not worry, senpai."
Inside, he admitted he was defensive when she implied that he put a lot of thinking into his contract. He never felt so bare in front of somebody that he knew in such short time. However, her final words somehow assured him that she will respect his pride and dignity. He nodded and she left after bidding him goodbye.
"You are an interesting person Shirayuri Anderson. But I'll pay you back for what happened today."
He smirked as shadow formed on his glasses. Quietly, he walked off to the other direction.
A/N: Thank you for reading and I do hope you enjoyed this introduction! Please do R&R :D
