Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club or Pride and Prejudice.
Sure enough, Kyoya held true to his word. When she woke up in the morning, there were three different film renditions of Pride and Prejudice as well as the novel sitting on her doorstep. Attached on top of the bundle was even a little note, written in Kyoya's perfect penmanship. As promised— Otohori Kyoya.
Completely bewildered, Haruhi picked up the gift and brought it inside, sitting at the table to further examine Kyoya's kindness. Her fingers ran delicately over the movie collection before picking up the novel and flipping through it briefly. She had to leave for school soon; yet, she was curious as to what—or rather, who—had all the girls fawning yesterday. Haruhi debated in her mind for just a moment before placing the novel in her bag for school.
After making a quick bento, Haruhi called a "goodbye" to her father before grabbing her bag and heading off to Ouran Academy for another day of classes. When lunch finally rolled around, instead of heading to the cafeteria, Haruhi made her way to Music Room 3, hoping to find it quiet for just a moment. She had wanted to start Pride and Prejudice all morning; however, she was scared to read it during class, even if they weren't doing anything—fearful that her sensei would confiscate the novel. Then she'd have to explain that to Kyoya-senpai… which didn't sound too pleasant, especially since he had been generous enough to give her the novel without charge—something that still perplexed her.
Much to Haruhi's surprise and delight, the music room was empty. With a soft sigh of relief, she grabbed Pride and Prejudice from her bag and sat down on the comfortable couch currently sitting in the center of the room, forgetting her bento for the moment. With a soft, curious smile, Haruhi opened the novel and began to read.
She found herself quickly lost in the world that Ms. Austen had created and sculpted to perfection. Haruhi even smiled when she found out that the renowned Mr. Darcy would be formally introduced in the first few chapters. However, when he finally made her appearance, she was immediately disappointed. She even allowed her mouth to gape open in shock. This was the man who every guest the previous day was next-to in love with? This rude, arrogant, proud, rich guy?
Her indignation lasted for several moments before another thought struck her. This insufferable man, Mr. Darcy, was like Kyoya-senpai? No—she couldn't see it. Kyoya at least has a shred of humanity inside of him, even though he tries to keep it hidden more-often-than-not. Mr. Darcy, however, was nothing but an arrogant rich man, set on thinking of himself as better than everyone else.
Haruhi compared and contrasted the shadow king with Mr. Darcy for a few more minutes before her silence was interrupted by an intruder. "I thought I would find you here, Haruhi," the Host Club vice president smirked. "What do you think of the famous Mr. Darcy?"
Haruhi placed a bookmark in the novel to save her page before closing the book and setting it beside her on the couch. Her eyes rose to meet Kyoya's amused gaze from where he stood just inside the—now closed—music room door. "I don't see why everyone loves him; he's nothing more than another rich aristocrat, too proud to admit his own faults."
Kyoya chucked quietly to himself before moving further into the room, finally sitting on the other end of the couch, turning to face Haruhi. "That is a bit harsh, don't you think? How far are you into the novel?"
"No, that is not too harsh; the man is rude! And I'm only five chapters in…"
"Ah. I see. After you finish the novel, let me know your impression of him then. You may view him in a much different light."
Haruhi scoffed, "I doubt it, but all right, Senpai." He seemed amused by her response, and the air fell silent between them for a moment before a thought occurred to Haruhi. "Hey, Senpai? What are you doing here anyway?"
Kyoya adjusted his glasses before smirking in her direction. "After Hikaru and Kaoru reported to Tamaki that they couldn't find you in the cafeteria, Tamaki was flailing about, turning over everything in the room to find you, because surely, you were hiding under the formal dining tables. I figured that you had retreated to a quiet place in attempt to read, and assumed that you'd come here, since you're most comfortable with this room. So I told him I'd check some of the classrooms to see if I could find you."
Haruhi face-palmed before rolling her eyes. Tamaki-senpai really could be an idiot sometimes. "Is he still looking for me?"
"Not just him, Haruhi. The twins are also racing around, as well as half the female student body. To them, you are MIA. Tamaki has even fabricated his idea of how you were kidnapped by pirates and could be on a ship in the Mediterranean in a raging thunderstorm." He sighed, pushing his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose.
Haruhi groaned. Tamaki-senpai could really be an idiot sometimes. "Ugh. When he finds out that I am still in the school…" she shuddered at the imagined feel of his bone-crushing hug as he shouted about how worried he was. Almost on cue, Haruhi and Kyoya turned toward the music room door at the sound of Tamaki rampaging down the hallway in their direction.
Kyoya was the first to recover from the shock—mainly because his outbursts were no longer a shock; they were expected. "Haruhi, hide behind the couch," he mandated.
"Huh?" she asked, confused.
Not having time to explain, Kyoya picked her up, lifting her up over the couch, and setting her back down behind it. "Now get down, out of sight." Deciding that it was probably best not to question the shadow king at the moment, Haruhi ducked behind the couch. Just as quickly, Kyoya was across the room, lifting up a tea cup, knowing that in three…two…one…
"KYOYA! HAVE YOU FOUND HARUHI YET? MY POOR DAUGHTER; SHE'S SO SCARED RIGHT NOW, I CAN FEEL IT. DON'T WORRY, HARUHI, DADDY'S COMING!" he exclaimed, surprisingly all in one breath, as he flailed his arms by the door.
"No, Tamaki, I haven't found her. I've searched the entire music room; she's not in here. I was getting ready to go check the animal treatment center; Bossa Nova has been hanging out there a lot, and he has been visiting Haruhi frequently. Perhaps he knows something about her disappearance?" Kyoya offered slyly.
Kyoya could literally see the determination flare up in Tamaki's eyes as he pounded his fist into an empty palm. "Bossa Nova," he growled before continuing, "I should have known he wasn't as nice as we made him out to be; he's a villain! He kidnapped my poor Haruhi! I'll go check the treatment center! Good idea, Kyoya! We must find her!" he shouted before racing back out of the music room.
"I'm right behind you," Kyoya called to the already gone Tamaki before walking slowly back to the door and shutting it before turning back to Haruhi. "It's all clear now, Haruhi."
The girl came around the couch, staring at Kyoya. "Senpai… do you think that was really a good idea? Now Bossa Nova is going to be drawn into this chaos too, and he's completely innocent too."
"It's all right; I'll take care of that later. I figured it would buy you the last fifteen minutes of lunch so you can read in peace," he explained.
"But what about when Tamaki sees me later at club activities? He'll be even more happy to see me alive; what about that, Senpai?"
"Leave it all to me; you just read your novel. I'm… curious… to know your final opinion on Mr. Darcy, and I can't know that until you've finished reading Pride and Prejudice."
Haruhi's eyes glinted with the new appreciation for the shadow king before her. She gave him a soft, genuine smile. "Thanks, Kyoya-senpai. But…" she started.
"Yes…?" a sly smirk answered in reply.
"Well, I was just curious, Senpai, why are you doing all of this for me?" Haruhi asked.
The Shadow King's glasses glinted in the light. "This could turn out to be very interesting, Haruhi. That is why I'm intervening." Kyoya gave her a cross between a smile and a smirk before slipping out the door, already knowing exactly what he'd tell Tamaki once lunch was over and Haruhi was surely back in the safety of her own classroom. Sure, she'd have to worry about Hikaru and Kaoru, but they wouldn't be nearly as bad as Tamaki. Kyoya had no doubts that she would be able to handle the Hitachiin twins on her own.
When Kyoya had closed the door behind him, Haruhi allowed her eyes a moment to linger where he had been standing before drawing her novel back into her lap and opening it once more. One of Mr. Darcy's quotes from the text came back to her, striking her once more as rude. "My good opinion once lost, is lost forever." Yes. Haruhi was quite sure that her opinion of the renowned Mr. Darcy would never change either; however, hers was due not to disdainful arrogance, but to a level head and good judgment. With an subconscious nod, Haruhi lowered her eyes to the novel in her hands and began to read.
A/N: Hey guys, so I'm sorry it took awhile to update this story-I was trying to finish up another one of mine... and I only had one chapter left for that one.. but then I decided that it could wait and I would update this one for all of you wonderful people who read this story. Also, I wanted to say thank you for the feedback you guys gave me; I wasn't sure if this story would end up being a complete flop or if people would actually buy into it. Anyway! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter; I will try to update it fairly soon! Which, speaking of updating-Sorry this is quite a bit shorter of a chapter than chapter 1... it just seemed like the right place to end it. I'll try to make chapter 3 a bit longer. =) Please review-I can't improve myself on something unless I know its wrong. Until next time-
On a side note... poor Bossa Nova. ~~ ^_^ ~~