Sorry for taking a while to update. Life gets in the way. But I was so surprised by the reviews I got! I really thought no one would be interested in this story anymore and man was I wrong haha. I'm glad you're all looking forward to this and you like the way I've decided to change it =] By the way, I didn't mention this before, but this story is based more off the anime than the manga. It's not that I haven't read the manga, but for the story, I prefer basing it off the anime.
And I just wanna answer a message someone sent me. It's odd that they messaged me, but didn't review =/
Nachan, where's Honey-senpai? He didn't show up in the first chapter =[
Honey doesn't show up until later in this chapter. Of the hosts that came over to greet Sakura, if you didn't notice, Honey was the only one who actually remained with his customers. Him and Mori. But towards the end of this chapter (or the beginning of the next chapter. Depends on how I split it up) We'll meet Honey-kun. No worries!
And one last thing. I'd like to take a vote! People who have read this story before know that Sakura begins to write songs. But I was thinking about having her write, rather than songs, little screenplays for the hosts to act out. So I've made a poll. GO TO MY PROFILE AND VOTE! You'll see the poll right at the top. And that will help me decide.
This chapter, btw, totaled up to 2769 words minus the notes at the top and bottom.
02: Impromptu Welcome
Ouran Private Academy is defined by one, prestigious families, and two, wealth. And prosperous people have much time on their hands. Therefore, this Ouran Host Club is about these handsome guys that have time, giving hospitality to these lovely ladies who also have time, and profit off of them. It's an elegant game unique to this super-rich school
Over the course of about an hour and a half, the small group sitting at the table with Haruhi and Sakura expanded to include Hikaru and Kaoru (they simply couldn't resist the new potential playmate that was Sakura) and all their customers. And so the group had moved from a table to the couches right behind Tamaki and his customers. In spending more time with the twins, she was able to pick up on the subtle differences between them. Their hair was parted in different directions, and they wrote with opposite hands, one was left-handed, the other right. And moreover, Kaoru's voice was a bit higher than Hikaru. And it wasn't to long before she was able to note one major diference between them.
Kaoru was the submissive one. Hikaru was the dominant one.
And for a reason beyond Sakura's comprehension, the girls at the table squealed in delight as an act of 'twincest' took place before them. However, before Sakura could even voice her thoughts on it, Haruhi caught her by the arm and whispered in her ear.
"It's all an act for the customers. They're not really like that."
"How do they enjoy that?"
"I don't understand it either."
Kaoru had turned his face away from Hikaru, his cheeks a light shade of red, "Hikaru, to say things like that in front of everyone, it's embarrassing."
"But at home in our room, you don't mind me saying such things."
"That's different. There we're alone. Here…" Kaoru tossed a glance at the customers, "Everyone can hear you."
"Then we'll go somewhere alone. We don't have to stay here."
Kaoru looked at his brother with tearful eyes, "Hikaru…"
Sakura shook her head, confused as to why the customers enjoyed this scene so much. She expected at any moment to see little pink hearts floating over their head and sparkles to form around the twins who were holding each other closely.
Meanwhile, a certain blonde had his eyes locked on the new customer. His customers for the first hour were gone and Kyoya was sending his new customers over for the second hour but for the few moments he sat alone on that couch, he couldn't take his eyes of Haruhi's cousin. He watched as Hikaru and Kaoru's customers left and others came in. There was something about her, and he couldn't put his finger on it, that told him of an impending wind of change. A good change. There was something significant about that girl. She wasn't like the other customers who swooned at the sight of the Host club. In fact, she wasn't very customer-like at all.
"Tamaki."
The blonde looked to his side to see Kyoya surrounded by a group of 4 girls all with excited smiles and giggling nervously. Tamaki stood to his feet and took the hand of the nearest customer, a brunette with her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
"Ahh, princess, come have a seat with me. Tell me all about you. I want nothing more than to hear your voice in my ear."
"Tamaki-kun…!"
The group sat down, but before Tamaki focused his full attention on them, he stood and said something into Kyoya's ear. Expression unchanging, Kyoya nodded and disappeared.
"So you're interested in Literature, Sakura-chan?" At some point in the conversation, the customers had learned that Sakura was Haruhi's cousin and, as if Sakura herself were a host, had directed their attention to her
"Mhm." She nodded, "I do a lot of writing in my spare time."
"What kind of writings?"
"Do you have any of them with you?"
"Can we read? Or will you read them to us?"
Sakura let out a nervous laugh, not used to the attention. I could never be a host…or hostess I my case."I don't have any on me, they're all at home."
"You'll have to bring some in! Anyone related to Haruhi must be extremely talented!"
Haruhi blushed and Sakura forced a smile So that's what it's really about. They want anything and everything to do with Haruhi.
Sakura nodded, "I'll consider it."
"What kind of writing do you do, Sakura-chan? My mom is an author and I'm curious to know what genres you do." The girl who spoke was short and round in the face with big dark eyes focused right on her. Sakura cleared her throat.
"Well…anything, really. Short stories. Usually 1500 to 3000 words. Occasionally I'll write some song lyrics, but nothing worth reading. If I had to say what my passion was, I would definitely say it was writing and—"
Kyoya was suddenly at her side. She looked up at him only to instinctively scoot back a bit when he kneeled down close to her face. When he motioned her to come closer, she abided, albeit a little hesitantly. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear. The customers exchanged looks and whispered a few words to one another. When Kyoya stood upright, Sakura nodded.
"Sure. I guess. Since my parents are still with the superintendent."
Come to think of it…it's been an hour and a half and they're still not done. What on earth are they doing? Probably talking business of some sort…expanding Ouran's art program or changing the uniforms. Who knows?
Kyoya nodded and was gone. Haruhi leaned over, "What did he say?"
"He wanted to take me on a tour around some of the school after the Host Club is over."
Haruhi's brow furrowed and she looked back at Kyoya who had found a spot at a table amongst his own customers, "Kyoya doesn't normally make offers like that. Something must be going on."
Sakura shook her head, "You're so suspicious, Haruhi. Always have been. Not the unassuming person people often think you are." Sakura took a sip of her tea.
Haruhi sighed and turned her attention back to her customers.
The customers were gone and the Hosts were straightening up. Sakura had begun to help, talking with Haruhi while pushing in chairs, when a hand lightly fell on her shoulder. She turned and looked up to see Kyoya standing behind her, on hand in his pocket.
"Let's go."
"Oh.." Sakura said and waved to Haruhi as she exited with Kyoya.
The first few minutes of their walk, which was just meandering through a lot of hallways, was rather quiet and Sakura began to feel very uncomfortable very fast. She let out a slight sigh.
"Kyoya, about the Host Club. You said that, as a friend you supported Tamaki in the opening of the club, correct?"
"Correct."
"My question, if it's not to prying of a question...you two seem so opposite of each other." Sakura stepped in front of Kyoya and walked backwards down the hall with him, "I know about the whole 'opposites attract' thing but, how did you two end up as friends? He seems like the type who would get on the nerves of a person like you."
Kyoya looked her over with those same eyes from before that gave Sakura that same tingle from before. She stopped herself from shuddering and waited for her answer.
"And how are you able to determine what type of friends Tamaki or I should have when you haven't known either of us for no more than an hour? And within that hour, the amount of time you spent conversing with us was at max a minute and half."
Sakura smiled slightly, "As a writer it is important that I know my characters inside and out. The way they think, how they interact with the people they interact with. In constantly practicing that, I'm able to make such types of determinations about other people who aren't my characters."
"What type of friend do you suppose I should have then? If not Tamaki?"
"An intellectual. Someone who can have deep conversations with you without bouncing off the walls. Someone not so…"
"Vibrant?"
"Yes."
"His vibrancy is something I've grown accustomed to. If he were to suddenly change, I would find it strange. What you weren't able to point out in the few moments you knew Tamaki, is that he is more intelligent than he may seem. One of the top students of our grade, capable of those conversations you claim I desire. He is driven and passionate and not a force to be taken lightly. There are times when he doesn't think through things and I have to clean up after him or try to prevent his inevitable downfall, but aside from the flaws, Tamaki is a friend—"
"Of convenience?"
Kyoya looked at her, only to receive a knowing smile from her pretty face.
"A welcoming party?" Haruhi said, straightening the white table cloth. Almost immediately after, a short blond hopped onto one of the chairs with a white plates in his hand and began setting plates at the place settings.
"Yes, to welcome our new friend to the Host Club." Tamaki said, "A close friend of Haruhi's is a close friend of ours."
Haruhi sighed and sat down, watching the smaller of the two blondes set the plates out, then hop down from the chair and move over to a second table. Before he had a chance to place the plates, the twins came and pushed it closer to the table Haruhi sat at, then allowed the small blonde to set it.
"Is that why Kyoya-senpai took her on a tour of the school? So you could set up?"
"Exactly." Tamaki smiled, "I'll send Kyoya a text when we're ready and she'll bring her back."
Haruhi stood up, "Tamaki-senpai, what is it about her that you're so intrigued by? That you feel the need to throw this party."
Tamaki tilted his head to the side, showing his obvious confusion from Haruhi's question. The girl sighed again, "You didn't throw a party like this for any other new customers or new students. Why her? Do you like her or something, senpai?"
"Yes! I like her very much. I feel as though she's…a force of some sort." Tamaki fell into the chair Haruhi once sat and looked up at her, "Try to understand me here, Haruhi. I feel as though she's going to usher in some sort of change to the host club. There's something about her that I haven't quite put my finger on. But it's pulling me and I can do nothing but respond."
"You're idea of responding is a party?"
"Do you have a better response?"
Haruhi opened her mouth to speak, only to find that she had no words to form. She pressed her lips into a thin line and crossed her arms over her chest. Nothing.
"I suppose it's okay…being so nice to her. She won't feel alone then on the first day."
"Wonderful!" Tamaki clapped his hands together.
"And what do you know of relationships formed by convenience?"
"Doesn't every child of rich families know of them?" Sakura said, looking Kyoya dead in the eye, "When you form a relationship with someone, friendship or love, for the advancement of one or both of the families."
Kyoya adjusted his glasses. The pair stood toe to toe (not so much head to head considering how much taller Kyoya was) in the middle of the hall. Their tour had been cut short at Sakura's uncalled for accusation. But when it came to things she was curious about, there were few things that would stop her from digging in. Her mother swears she should be a journalist.
"What advancement do you presume my family or the Suoh family would gain from the two of us becoming friends?"
"Suoh?" Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, "As in Superintendent Suoh? So, you befriended him to get into the school? Not brilliant enough to get in on your own, Ootori-san?"
"Resorting to insulting my intelligence." Kyoya adjusted his glasses again, which sort of annoyed Sakura. He constantly did it. Shouldn't he invest in some new glasses if he kept having to fix his own?
"No. Just trying to figure out how you're friends with him. You're such polar opposites."
"So are Haruhi and Tamaki. And yet they have a strong friendship. You and Haruhi aren't much alike either."
"We're family."
"That doesn't mean you must be friends." Kyoya had firsthand experience with that. Being in the same family with someone doesn't mean a friendship is automatically formed, "Haruhi's side of the family isn't the most financially stable. Being friends with you means your parents associate and become friendly. And perhaps some financial aid becomes available? Are you sure your friendship with your cousin isn't one of convenience either? Did you ever stop to consider that maybe all relationships are of convenience in one way or another? Working towards some sort of advancement?"
Sakura had to think for a moment, but she did understand where Kyoya was coming from "People become friends because they don't want to be alone. It's a result of their own selfish desires. It would be inconvenient to be alone your whole life. So you make friends to eliminate that. Making a friend is the easiest thing you can do to make your life more stable. To help you advance in it.
"And friendships can eventually lead to love and marriage. Children and the advancement of the human race. We meld in mingle with one another to continue the race and the progression of our world. And so, all relationships are of convenience. Whether people are aware of it or not."
Sakura smiled a little, and opened her mouth to speak, but there came a ringing from Kyoya's pocket. He pulled out his phone and flipped it open, then shut it back just as fast.
"I'm sure your parents will be calling for you soon. We should return to the host club to get your things. And I'll bring you back to the office."
The impromptu welcome party consisted of sweets, tea, and conversation. Sakura met 2 other hosts, a short blonde affectionately called Honey (his real name, she learned, was Mitskuni) and his very tall very brooding friend Mori. She didn't understand the Host Club's decision to do such a thing. Did they do this with all their new friends? Were the people at this school so carefree and so rich that they could do these sort of things?
Whatever the reason, she couldn't say she wasn't grateful for it. It was nice to have a group of people accept her so quickly. Of course she missed her old friends and Japan was still not her home (or at least it didn't feel that way, despite having been born there) but the Host Club was making the coping process much easier. 20 minutes in, she heard her phone go off and she jogged towards a corner of the room where her bag sat, and in her bag sat her silver cellphone with a golden chain and a small silver pen attached to it. As she expected, it was her mother asking where she was. And so the party had to end and Haruhi was to bring her back to the office. Sakura said her goodbyes to everyone and repeated invitations to return. She promised she would and, after tossing something of a smirk at Kyoya, she collected her bag and left with Haruhi.
"So how much of the school did Kyoya show you?"
Sakura shrugged, "Not much. Tamaki called us back before we got the chance to see everything."
"I've been here for almost a year. And I still haven't seen the entire school." Haruhi said with a small laugh and Sakura smiled.
They made their way down the familiar hall and soon found the superintendent's office, outside of which Sakura's parents stood. They excitedly said their hellos to Haruhi (lots of hugs, kisses, and 'how is your father'), but they were pressed for time, having to meet the movers at their new estate soon. And so, Sakura said one final goodbye to Haruhi and headed out. They crossed the courtyard to the parking lot, and Sakura talked about her new friends. And, unbeknowest to herself, one of those friends watched her from the window. Kyoya stepped away from the window when Tamaki called him and went to class.
I know this chapter seemed a little pointless =p It was really just a lot of forshadowing and showcasing Sakura and Kyoya XD But stay with me, readers, it gets really good, really quick!
I love Sakura and Kyoya, I must say…=p How they butt heads all the time.
