Chapter 2:The Job of a High School Host!
"Only those with excellent social standing and those from filthy rich families are lucky enough to spend their time here, at the elite private school: Ouran Academy." The blond explained. "The Ouran Host Club is where the school's handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super rich and beautiful."
The school bell sounded and Haruhi and Naruto looked up from their books before slamming them closed and stuffing them away, running to get to the host club.
"We're never gonna hear the end of this if we're late!" The blond with whisker marks said, picking up her pace. Haruhi nodded, agreeing with her shorter friend.
When they finally reached the club room they opened the doors to find that it had been turned into a tropical paradise of sorts. "What's all this?" The brunette muttered to herself as the two made their way further into the room.
"Where are we?" Naruto asked, just as confused as her friend.
Sapphire blue and chocolate brown eyes finally fell on the other host club members, who were all dressed in tropical style outfits that showed off their figures. "Welcome." They all said, smiling.
'Can you see this from heaven, Mom?' Haruhi thought with annoyance.
Naruto's eye twitched. 'Mom. Dad. I've been taken hostage by a bunch of morons!'
'This is the club we were forced to join last week.'
"You guys finally made it," The twins said. "You're so late." They were teasing them.
'Great, as if I wasn't already annoyed today… Now I have to deal with this.' Naruto sighed.
"Now, I could be wrong, but my calendar says it's still early April." Haruhi said, her tone flat.
"Huddling under a kotatsu table fearing the cold would be nonsense! And besides, the heating system we have is," Tamaki paused and struck a pose. "The best!"
The two girls scoffed at his idiocy.
"Do you have a problem with the way we run our club, Naruto? Haruhi?" Kyouya asked, not looking up from his clipboard. "Be careful what you say, the two of you owe us 8 million-yen, remember?" He sent them a smug look, and Naruto balled her hands into fists at her sides. An image of the vase shattering flashed in Haruhi's mind.
Tamaki opened his fan. "Gentlemen don't bundle up in bulky clothing," He posed again. "It may be chilly early spring out there in the real world, but here at the club we want to surprise our chilly little kittens," He sent a quick glance to Naruto and her whisker marks as he spoke. "With a warm tropical paradise." He wrapped an arm around each of them. "Oh yes, we've turned this place into Nirvana, a Bali tropical island of everlasting summer!" He announced, sparkling.
"That's funny, 'cause I feel a massive chill right now." Naruto deadpanned while Haruhi stayed quiet with a bored look.
"What heartlessness. Even with my lustrous skin, like ivory, and my outfit, like that of a Balinese king, all too fitting for me, I'm no more than a slave before my goddess," Tamaki lifted a girl's chin and leaned in close to her. "I kneel before you and swear my loyalty."
"Tamaki…" She said dreamily, a blush on her face. "Oh wow..." She said dazed, hearts in her eyes.
"Oh yes! I almost forgot to mention to you ladies, next week the Ouran Host Club is sponsoring a party." Tamaki told them and Naruto and Haruhi turned their heads to each other.
"We're throwing a party?" Naruto asked her friend, who only shrugged, before looking back to the blond haired male.
"What kind of party is it going to be?" One girl at the twins' table asked.
"Is it going to be formal?" The other asked blushing.
"Yes, in fact, we've rented the school's largest hall," Hikaru explained.
"It's the perfect place for dancing," Kaoru added before his brother grabbed his chin and leaned close to him, he blushed lightly and stared into his twin's eyes.
"But I really wanted to spend time alone with you, Kaoru," Hikaru purred,
"Don't be upset, Hikaru," He consoled his twin. "I know exactly how you feel…" Suddenly the girls around them started squealing unintelligibly with red faces.
"The guests seem to be even more worked up than usual," Naruto said.
"Showing some skin proves popular with the ladies," Kyouya said from beside the pair.
"So are you the one who came up with this tropical paradise idea?" Haruhi asked, still observing Tamaki and the twins.
"I have no decision-making authority, all of the club's policies have been laid out by the club's king, Tamaki," He pushed up his glasses and grinned at the two. "However, I guess there's no harm in admitting to casually a Bali photo book onto his desk."
They sweat dropped. "So he's the real brains behind this operation…" Naruto muttered.
"Ta-da!" Honey-senpai exclaimed, showing off his flower necklace."
"Oh, you're so cute, Honey!" Some girls squealed with blushes.
He eye smiled at them. "Hi, ladies! I love these Balinese flowers! We had them flown in." Mori walked by carrying a pineapple. "Takeshi!" Honey crawled up his cousin like a baby koala and slung a matching lei around his neck. He hugged the brunette, flowers of innocence blooming around his face. "There! We match!" He said happily. Mori didn't react, but the girls swooned.
"Oh… You're covered in camellias…" One said, with a hand pressed to her forehead.
"I'm still confused about those two…" Both girls, disguised as boys, muttered to themselves.
"Um, Haruhi, Naruto?" A girl asked them, they turned to face her giving her charming smiles. "Aren't you guys going to wear tropical outfits like the other boys?" She asked hopefully.
"I'd like to see that."The brunette next to her said with a blush.
The two hosts panicked. "Uh, well no… I" Haruhi sputtered. Naruto took over.
"We just don't feel comfortable wearing anything but appropriate attire for each season." She said calmly, smiling politely at their guests.
"But we have outfits ready for you both," Tamaki said, gesturing to two mannequins. One wearing a matching female version to Tamaki's and a male version like everyone else's. "I think you'll like it Haruhi, you and I are a pair." He grinned.
"And what am I? Chopped liver?!" Naruto growled at him.
"No thanks," Haruhi said with a bored tone, turning her attention back to the three ladies at their table while he sulked.
"Wow, you two are really faithful to the different season, aren't you?" One girl said.
"I think that's great! I hope we're lucky enough that the cherry blossoms are in full bloom for the party." Another swooned.
"Oh Naruto, the two of us dancing among the cherry blossoms, it's so dreamy…" the third sighed contently at her day dreams.
"You think so?" Naruto asked grinning. "I think it's adorable when you dream like that," She gave the girls a charming smile. "I'll fight to protect those dreams," The girls went wild.
"Wow, a real knightly type!" one giggled.
"He's like a knight, defending his princess…" The second said in awe with a blush.
"Excuse me," A new voice said, and the two female hosts turned to their new guest. "I hate to disturb but I think it's time for the hosts to switch clients." A girl with short brown hair and brown eyes said.
"Oh, our apologies," Naruto said with a polite smile.
"You must be out next appointment, Miss…" She trailed off waiting for a name.
"My name's Kanako. Kanako Kasugazaki." She said bringing a hand under each of their chins. "You two are even cute than the rumors say." She said looking into their eyes. "I've decided. You two will be my new favorites!" She finished with a smile. Tamaki turned white behind them, though no one paid any attention to him.
Tamaki sat at a table in the corner eating instant ramen, sulking. "I can't take this anymore." He muttered around bites. Naruto stared at the cup and drooled, but Haruhi kept a firm grip on the blue-eyed blond, holding her in place.
"Hey, boss! Why don't you stop eating that commoners' ramen," Naruto snapped out of her daze and glared at Hikaru. "And come over here to help us with the party planning." The older twin's annoyed voice said.
"Does it really bother you that Princess Kasuga has taken a liking to Haruhi and Naruto?" Kaoru asked him.
"He shouldn't be surprised. She's had the illness for a while now, hasn't she?" Kyouya said, not taking his eyes off his laptop.
"What illness?" The two girls asked, now directing their attention to the vice president.
"She's got the Host-Hopping Disease," Hikaru explained, sliding behind Kyouya so the two would be looking at him.
"Aka the Never-the-Same-Boy(s)-Twice Disease," Kaoru added, standing beside his twin.
"Usually, our customers choose a favourite host and see them regularly. However, Princess Kanako tends to change her favourites on a regular basis." Kyouya said, typing away.
"That's right," Honey spoke, sliding between Naruto and Kyouya. "Before she chose you guys she was with Tama-chan." He said smiling, looking at the screen of Kyouya's laptop.
"Oh," Naruto said, glaring at the king for his idiocy.
"So he's just upset because we took her from him?" Haruhi asked flatly, disappointed.
"Shut up!" He yelling in their faces, now out of his depression corner. "I couldn't care less! I'm running out of patience." He pointed at the brunette girl. "Haruhi, it's time you started dressing like a girl!" The two sweat dropped.
"You know boss," Hikaru started.
"Naruto's a girl too. Why do you keep ignoring her?" Kaoru questioned with a smirk.
"Even earlier you tried giving her a boy's tropical outfit and offered Haruhi a female one that matched your own." Hikaru was smirking now too. Tamaki froze but ignored them.
"I don't understand how the two of you are so popular with the ladies when you yourselves are ladies!" He complained. "No one in the entire school knows the truth except for those of us here!"
"Yeah, they opted out of taking gym classes," Hikaru said.
"And the attendance numbers are all mixed together so no one can tell," Kaoru added, sliding behind Tamaki with his twin.
Tamaki dashed away and dragged back a chest labeled 'King's private property'. He opened it, digging through it for a bit and dug through it.
"That's enough, Haruhi! Naruto! Now you listen to daddy," Tamaki's voice echoed inside the trunk. He pulled out two enlarged frames and rushed over to the two girls. "Daddy wants you to go back to the way you were!" Showing them their middle school pictures.
Haruhi's hair went a few inches past her shoulders with evenly cut bangs. Naruto had much longer hair that was up in pigtails that went beyond the picture's boundaries with some fringe framing her face. Both girls were wearing the same middle school outfit which had a blue top with a red ribbon, and both had small smiles on their faces.
Tick marks appears on their heads. "Don't go blowing up our pictures without permission!" They shouted at him. The club surrounded the pictures, quietly observing for a moment before commenting.
"The more I look at these photos the more amazed I am," Hikaru said. "How could these turn into those?!" He asked thinking back to the first time they saw the two girls enter the club room.
"The day before school started a kid from my neighborhood got some gum in my hair," Haruhi said, causing 6 heads to turn to look at her. "It's a real pain to get gum out of long hair so I just cut it all off."
"A couple days before school started up again I was sparring with a friend of a friend in kenju- kendo. I left my hair down instead of putting it in pigtails and they thought that cutting off my hair would distract me but I didn't really care that much." Naruto explained her own story. "It was all uneven so I just had my godfather fix it to look like my dad's did." She shrugged.
"We don't really care if we look like a couple of dudes." Tamaki was further frustrated.
"Girls should never refer to themselves as dudes!" She shouted at them before sulking. "Mommy! Haruhi and Naruto are using those dirty boy words again!" He said with tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Who's 'Mommy'?" the four first years asked looking at him.
"Based on club position I assume it's me," Kyouya said with a sigh.
"Look, I don't see what you're crying about." Naruto chided.
"If we work as hosts, it'll be easier to pay off our debt, which would never happen if we were just 'errand-boys'." Haruhi scoffed.
"I'd hate to change the subject but do either of you have any experience in formal dancing? You'll need it at the party." Hikaru cut in and the girls looked at him.
"I do." Everyone looked at Naruto shocked. They didn't expect her to know that kind of thing. She sighed. "When I first started learning… martial arts from my godfather he had me learn to dance first. It made learning the moves easier. It's one of my talents."
"You know martial arts? And kendo? Would you spar with Takeshi and me?" Honey asked jumping up and down happily.
She gave a nervous laugh. "Maybe…"
Everyone looked over at Haruhi waiting for her answer. "No, but the party has nothing to do with my quota, right? I'm not really interested in going to events so if I could be excused…" She sputtered, and Tamaki got a glint in his eye.
"Definitely not. A gentleman must know how to dance. If you want to live the life of a host that badly, you're going to have to show us how far you're willing to go, Haruhi." He said, posing. "I order you to master dancing the waltz in one week and demonstrate it for us at the party," He spun before pointing at the brunette. "Or I'll tell the entire school that you're a girl and knock you back down to errand-boy!"
Haruhi sputtered. "B-but what about Naruto!" She asked incredulously.
"Naruto knows how to dance." He said, not changing his mind. "However," He pointed a finger at the blond girl. "You'll be the one to teach her!" Her head dropped.
"Great, and here I thought I'd have more time to study…"
The next day the host club was in the music room, waiting for Naruto to come out of the dressing room.
"Why do I have to dress like this again?" She asked stubbornly.
"Because, Haruhi must get used to a dress on her partner!" Tamaki said firmly. "Are you dressed?" He asked her.
"Well yeah, but I don't want you guys to see…" She muttered. Unfortunately, Tamaki heard it. He snapped his fingers and The twins jumped into the changing room and grabbed her pulling her out.
She was wearing an orange party dress, and she had her hair done up like she used to with long pigtails going down just past her waist. She struggled out of the twins grip and the club stared at her awe.
"Don't just drag me out! What the hell's wrong with you!" She yelled at the twins who were frozen with pink cheeks. She had a generous bust and was showing more skin than they'ed ever seen from her. "Ugh, I hate high heels…" She groaned as she made her way over to Haruhi who smiled at her.
"I told you, you're pretty in dresses, but you don't listen." The brunette teased.
She blushed. "I don't care if I'm pretty or not, I'm a fighter. I don't want to wear dresses and heels. It's not my thing. Besides, so do you." She sighed. "Let's just get this over with."
The music switched on and Naruto lead the two in the waltz. The club members noticed that Haruhi was clumsy and stepped on Naruto's toes a lot but she didn't seem to notice too much, just corrected the issue and drilled the movements into the brunettes head. They also notice how surprisingly graceful the blond girl was. Being so brash and loud, they'd expected her not to know how to dance either.
The twins glared at the brunette. They wanted to dance with Naruto while she was dressed like that!
After a while of dancing, the twins noticed that Haruhi was catching on a bit and an idea popped into their heads. They smirked. "Hey, Haruhi! Why don't you try dancing with someone else," Hikaru started.
"Maybe the boss could evaluate you for the day," Kaoru said, and the blond king shot up.
"Of course! Allow me to dance with you, Haruhi!" He yelled running up to them. Naruto hid a smirk as she passed the taller girl to Tamaki who placed a hand on her hip and pulled the girl, dressed as a boy, away. The blond turned to see the two orange-haired twins in front of her.
"Would you like to dance?" They asked, each offering her a hand.
"Uh, with which one of you? There's only one of me…" Her cheeks turned pink.
'Damn it! "Don't use it in school" Stupid ero-sennin!' She thought, knowing there was a way she could dance with the two of them at once
"Allow me," A new voice said and the short girl looked up to see Kyouya holding his hand out to her and smiled.
"E-er… Sure…" She took his hand with a blush and he lead her in a waltz.
She had to admit it was nice to have someone else lead, and not crush her toes every other step. Naruto let herself relax and enjoy the dance. Kyouya was very proper, he smiled politely and his hand never wandered. 'Unlike some of my old partners…' She thought annoyed but smiled back at him.
'Damn him!' The twins cursed the cool type as they watched the two dance.
They continued the lessons each day, and every time Naruto was forced into a dress. Not even once did the twins get a chance to dance with her, though. Kyouya, or Honey, or even Mori beat them to it because they couldn't decide who would dance with her first.
"I heard you weren't taking customers today because you two were practicing dancing," Kanako said, her hand under her chin. "I'm glad I get to spend this time alone with both of you." They were dumbfounded by her choice of words and what they implied. "Oh wow! This is a new tea set. Ginori, right?" She asked, observing the green cup with gold accents."
Naruto and Haruhi sweatdropped. "Ginori?"
"You have a keen eye, mademoiselle. In fact, we just received them yesterday." Kyouya said, suddenly standing by the table. "We decided it was about time for the club to improve it's tea sets." He explained.
"I see. What a pretty color, it's lovely." A chord stuck Tamaki who was listening from afar, as well as Naruto, though Haruhi was oblivious. "You must really like tea sets then." She said smiling.
Kanako's face went read. "N-no not really, I don't…" She said putting it on the table. "My word, what are you talking about?" Haruhi smiled warily.
'She does like it, but why is she hiding it…'
She noticed her gently rubbing the cup, unknowingly and froze when a voice sounded from behind her.
"Hello, I brought the teacups you ordered,"
"Ah," Kyouya responded, leaving his spot by the table. "Thank you very much. Each item you've chosen for us has been very popular with the ladies. I'm quite impressed." He smiled at the other boy.
"Well, that's good to here." He said and Kanako looked down. Haruhi and Naruto walked over to them.
"Do you sell tea sets?" Haruhi asked him.
He laughed sheepishly. "No, I'm just a regular student. I'm wearing a uniform, see?"
Kanako gave a fake laugh. "Oh Haruhi-kun, you're so funny!" The four looked over to her. "I can't blame you for not knowing. After all, he doesn't really look like the heir to a first-class corporation." She turned to face them, smiling.
"Heir?" Naruto asked.
"His family's business, Suzushima Trading Co, centers around the importing of tablewares. Currently, it has the top market share in the country." Kyouya explained as the brunette boy caught Kanako's eyes for a moment. She looked down at her lap, avoiding his gaze.
"Wow," Haruhi commented.
"So when something exceptional comes in, we've asked him to send it our way. He has a keen eye for fine china, which is why we trust you with these things, Suzushima-kun,"
"Oh no, my eye still has a long way to go…" He said bashfully with a small blush. "But thanks anyway." No one could see Kanako's sad expression.
"Aren't you leaving soon, to study abroad in England? Next month wasn't it?" Kyouya asked curiously.
"Yes, I am," He affirmed. "I should be going now, though." He said turning to leave.
Kanako sat still, no long facing the direction Suzushima was standing, still holding onto the tea set.
"So, are you enjoying the host club?" Tamaki asked, approaching her.
"Are you close to that guy?" Naruto asked walking back to the table, carrying the box of tea sets.
She shook in her seat nervously and turned to the Natural type and, newly dubbed, Knightly type hosts. "Huh?! N-no! Of course not! We hardly know each other." She panicked. "Where did you get that idea, Naruto-kun? Now if you'll please excuse me, take care." She covered her blush and quickly left the club room.
"Haru-chan! Naru-chan!" Honey yelled jumping on Naruto's back. "Guess what! They do know each other! Suzushima-kun is Kasuga-chan's fiancé!" He told them.
"Kyouya," Tamaki interrupted. "How long have you know about this?" He asked accusingly.
He pushed up his glasses. "About the two of them being engaged?" He asked. "As you know, I do conduct general research on our customers." He opened a binder. "The two of them were childhood friends. Their engagement was arranged by their parents." He said not looking up. "I didn't think the information would benefit us so I disregarded it." He looked at Tamaki.
"I see…"
"Toru Suzushima: Outstanding grades, fair social status, ordinary looks with reliability as a strong point. If I had to fault him for anything-"
The twins cut in. "He doesn't have much presence," Hikaru said.
"And he's faint-hearted," Kaoru added.
"In other words," Kyouya snapped the book closed. "He's boring." His tone was flat but harsh.
The female hosts sweat dropped. 'They really are merciless to other guys…'
"Suzushima is a good boy, right?" Honey asked from Mori's shoulders.
"Yeah," Mori said tonelessly.
Tamaki stepped closer to them. "Alright everyone," He said, getting their attention. "Let's examine our strategy." They all stared at him.
"Which one?" They all said flatly.
Tamaki sparkled as he spoke again. "Men, it is our responsibility, as members of the elite Ouran Host Club, to make every girl happy!"
"My little lambs, who have gathered here tonight, the Ouran Host Club bids you a fond welcome," Tamaki said, bowing. He was dressed in a white suit with a light purple-pink vest and a purple tie and wore his usual charming smile as he looked at the ladies in the room who were clapping. The other members of the host club bowed as well and stood straight as the lights were turned on.
"As always, ladies, the Host Club members are here for your entertainment,"Kyouya announced to the crowd, in his black suit matched with a blue vest and purple tie, the jacket reaching his past knees. "So we invite you to dance to your heart's content. Based on her dancing skills, one lucky young lady will be chosen as tonight's queen. The queen's reward will be a passionate kiss on the cheek from our king."
"Good luck to you," The blond wink at them, extending his hand. "My darlings."
The girls squealed with joy, some even fainting.
"Haruhi, show some enthusiasm." Naruto and the twins chided, seeing Haruhi with an odd look and her shoulders hunched.
"Well sorry, but this is the only dance party I've ever been to. I've only ever gone to the festivals held in my neighborhood park."
"I don't know if you can really consider that a party or not…" Kyouya said, writing in his book as usual, next to Mori and Honey. "Since you're already here you might as well get yourself something to eat." Both Naruto and Haruhi looked up - the blond's attention taken by the mention of food. "We've got quite a spread."
Haruhi blushed. "L-like with fancy tuna?" She averted her eyes, and Naruto didn't really care what was there so much as there's food.
Kyouya broke his mechanical pencil and he, along with the other male host club members, turned white. They all sputtered at her in disbelief. Her face was red and the twins hugged her in an attempt to comfort her.
"You poor thing," They chanted, hugging her. Naruto just snorted.
"Get some fancy tuna here, stat!" Tamaki yelled, and Kyouya called in the order.
'These damn rich people…' She thought in annoyance and embarrassment.
Each of the hosts were currently dancing with one of the guests, except Haruhi who was leaning against a column. Two girls peaked around it to look at her but quickly hid behind it when Kanako walked up to the brunette.
"Hello Haruhi," She said smiling. "I've been looking all over for you, do you think maybe I could have the next dance?" She asked politely, and Haruhi smiled.
"Yeah," She held her hand out. "Of course, you can." Some girls cried behind them.
Kasuga took Haruhi's hand, and the brunette lead her to the floor.
"Kasuga-chan is here!" Honey said.
"Alright men," Tamaki said "Commence with our operation."
"Roger." Mori and Honey said speeding towards Haruhi and Kasuga.
They were about to dance when the brunette was promptly grabbed and pulled away. She stood dumbfounded. "A kidnapping?"
Mori set Haruhi down in the club room and she turned to the twins. "You didn't have to be so forceful!" They didn't pay attention to her obvious anger, though, and handed her a package. Naruto just stood to the side and watched with a smug grin.
"Never mind that, go get changed," Hikaru said roughly.
"Yeah!" Honey cheered as he pushed her into one of the two curtained off 'rooms'.
Kaoru looked at Naruto's smug expression and smirked, handing her a similar package. "You too."
Her expression turned angry. "What do you mean 'You too.'?! I wasn't involved with anything but her makeup!" The twins grinned at each other.
"We decided that you're going to be a girl for the rest of the night," They said at the same time.
"After all," Kaoru said into her ear. Her breath hitched.
"We never got our dance," Hikaru said on her other side
They pushed her into the other curtained off room. "Have fun!" They gave a thumbs up as she stumbled inside.
"Having an 'accident' happen at the end of the night would be quite thrilling, and remember Haruhi, you only have 20 minutes before the party reaches its climax. Suzushima is already waiting in a classroom for you across the hall." Haruhi slid the curtain open revealing the pink dress with a flowery bow she had a wig that matched her hair color on that was the same style as her middle school years. Naruto opened her own curtain at the same time, glaring at the twins. She had on the same orange gown she wore for Haruhi's dancing lessons with the grasped bodice, her own wig was a slightly lighter blond than normal and styled with pigtails.
The twins were left to Haruhi's makeup as Naruto gave into the twins demands, knowing it'd probably end up worse if she didn't, and put some eyeliner on over a golden eyeshadow.
"Remember, ask him how he feels!" Honey said to Haruhi as the twins applied her makeup.
"Uh, we know this is the boss's strategy but it's kind of unsettling." The twins commented.
Tamaki burst through the doors. "Gentlemen! Here you all are what are you doing?" He said. "The guests are waiting… for…" He trailed off as he caught sight of the two, though he seemed more interested in the brunette, his face dusted with light pink.
Haruhi stood up and turned to him, her eyes widened with the makeup, and her lips slightly parted. Tamaki was dazed as he took in her beauty.
"I told you, you look pretty in a dress," Naruto quietly sassed her friend, who only looked at the blond male. The twins slid next to him.
"So what do you think?" The twins asked, grinning, as Haruhi walked liked a puppet towards the door.
"Haru-chan you look so cute!" Honey commented. "Naru-chan looks pretty with makeup!"
The twins looked at the blond, grinning like Cheshire Cat and she crossed her arms, turning her face away from them.
"My face feels heavy, and it's hard to walk in these shoes." She grumbled
"Good luck, Haruhi!" The twins cheered as she walked into the hall.
"Sh-she looks so cute…" Tamaki muttered into nothingness as they turned back into the club room, to Naruto. "Why are you all dressed up too?" He asked his face still red as he took the sight of her in. He hadn't really paid attention to her during Haruhi's lessons, so he didn't see how revealing the dress really was. "Daddy won't allow it! Look at how much skin you're showing! And your-your…" He pointed to her cleavage.
Naruto closed her eyes, a tick mark appearing on her head"One dance each, you guys got that!" She growled. "And if you try to pull this stunt again, you're gonna see a side of me you never wanted to see." A red aura that looked like a fox with nine tails surrounded her before she put on a sweet smile. "So you better not get used to this."
Suzushima waited by the window for the one who wrote him the confession letter to show up. He turned when the door opened to see a brunette girl with long brown hair wearing a pink dress with flowers.
"You're the one who wrote this letter?" He held up the note. "You very different from what I imagined."
'Letter?' He handed it to her and she sweatdropped as she read it. ' "Love-love"? "Tee-hee"? Who wrote this letter?' She thought before three suspicious characters popped into her mind - who happened to be, 'maybe unintentionally?', showing interest in her blond friend. 'They don't really see like the types to go for tomboys or girls who like karate, I'd expect either Honey-senpai or Mori-senpai to be more into than those three…'
"Have we met somewhere before?" He asked and Haruhi froze.
"No! We've never spoken before." She assured, making her voice slightly higher in pitch.
"I'm sorry." He said suddenly much to her surprise.
"Hmm?"
"I appreciate what you've said, but I cannot respond to your letter." He said, looking down. "I already have another girl who is dear to me."
"I'm sorry," Haruhi said. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend."
"Unfortunately, she's not my girlfriend." The brunette boy said sadly. "Or should I say, she's through with me." He turned away from the brunette. "In all honesty, she'd be better suited having a more dazzling, more self-confident man."
"Where exactly are you taking me, Tamaki?" Kanako asked, following the tall blonde's guiding hand.
"You know," They stopped in front of a large window. "You're probably not the sort of person who's cut out for manipulating others." He said.
She paused and looked up at him. "I'm not sure what you mean…"
"No matter how many hosts you hop around to, in order to gain his attention, you always seem happier when you look at the teacups." He said gently, giving her a small smile.
Kanako flashed back to when she was a kid. She and Suzushima had been close friends in their childhood, and she could remember looking at tea sets with him.
"Look at these Kanako!" He'd said, placing his small hands on the glass case. "How pretty!" He smiled at the cups. "A Wedgwood… A Foley… A Worcester…" He'd recited. They both smiled and admired the tableware inside the case, marveling at the beauty of each piece. "Over here is a Ginori and Meissen." He marveled, then stopped to look at his brunette friend. "Kanako," She looked up at him. "You're going to be my wife," He said. "So I'll tell you all about them, okay?" He eye smiled and she returned it.
"Yeah!"
"It doesn't matter, no matter what I do he doesn't notice me in the least." She said looking at the ground. "He even decided to study abroad without me knowing…" She sighed sadly.
"That's why I'd like to change, as well. Looking at the world," He told the small brunette. "I want to become an even better man." His eyes didn't move from the window. "I know it's selfish of me to ask, but what if you were to wait for me?" He asked quietly.
"I guess it is selfish of you," She said, like an arrow to his heart. "It's crazy to think she'll understand how you feel if you don't tell her." She explained. He looked at her with wide eyes and a small blush on his cheeks. "You clearly have feelings for her, so why do you need to put it off? I think that people begin to change from the moment they decide they want to." She told him.
Suddenly the door opened, and he extended a hand towards it as if saying 'wait.' Haruhi turned to see Kasuga at the door, staring at the two with wide eyes.
"Kanako…" He muttered and she clenched at her heart, looking down.
"Sorry, I seem to be interrupting something. I'll just…" She trailed off, tears falling from her eyes, before turning to run. Suzushima took off after her.
"Kanako!"
Haruhi stepped out the door and watched the chase,Tamaki walked out next to her.
"Didn't we just complicate things?" She asked, not looking at him.
"Well, he did go running after her." She smiled some, glancing at the blond.
'It's our responsibility, as members of the elite Ouran Host Club, to make every girl happy, huh?' She thought, smiling at her senpai.
Kanako sped away from Suzushima, tears still falling slightly, but he was able to catch up and grabbed her wrist. As they stopped running, multiple large spotlights fell on them.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Tamaki said from a balcony overlooking the scene. "It is now time for the final dance of this evening's festivities." He said as guests gathered in the windows to watch the exchange. "The Host Club's last waltz falls upon this couple." The attention was drawn to the host club. Haruhi and Naruto were back in their suits, all traces of makeup gone, the twins were looking smug as they each ate a banana, while Kyouya, Mori, and Honey all smiled at the couple.
Suzushima released her wrist and closed his eyes, gathering his bearings. He extended his hand out to her bowing. "Princess Kasuga," He started with blush. "May I have this dance?" He opened his eyes and looked at her.
Kanako stared with wide eyes and a blush. She smiled warmly at him and took his hand. "Yes." She said and the music started.
The couple danced as the wind knocked the petals of the cherry blossoms off the trees, the host club smiling at them and the rest of the guests giggling and sighing at how romantic it all was.
"I love you, Kanako," Suzushima said, blushing as they danced. "I've always loved you, and… I want you to be my wife." She smiled up at him, happily shocked by his words. Tears of joy welled in her eyes.
'Tonight,' She thought. 'Marks the end of my host-hopping.'
Tamaki sighed contently extending his arms to the sides, nearly smacking Naruto and Haruhi in the head. "May this awkward couple be blessed!"
Hikaru slid next to the king, holding his banana peel. "Tonight's dance queen…" He started.
Kaoru slid next to him, holding his own remnants of the banana. "Is hereby declared to be Princess Kanako Kasugazaki!" He finished. The crowed clapped happily for her as the couple looked out at everyone. She smiled slightly.
"Now then," Hikaru started, his banana peel gone. "The blessed kiss on the cheek from the king…"
Tamaki made a seductive pose and began to speak before he was cut off by Kaoru-who's banana peel was also gone. "Has been switched to Haruhi Fujioka and Naruto Namikaze!" He announced.
"Huh?!" The two girls froze and Tamaki looked scandalized.
"After all, Kyouya-senpai said having a little 'accident' happen at the end of the night would make it more thrilling!" The twins said swinging their arms around Naruto, who hunched her shoulders. Looking at them, she noticed the glint in their eyes.
'What are they up to…'
Suzushima put a hand on Kanako's shoulder. "It's just on the cheek, right?" He asked, giving he a small smile. "Go ahead, accept it. It'll commemorate your graduation from host-hopping."
"Of all things you put me through…" Haruhi grumbled shooting a glare at her laughing friend.
"We'll cut your debt by one-third," Kyouya said, not missing a beat.
She looked away sharply.
"Well, it is just a peck on the cheek…" Naruto said starting towards the stairs, followed by Haruhi
The girls made their way down the stairs to Kanako, who stepped forward.
Tamaki sulked watching the scene, as Honey cut in with a quick thought. "Hey, you don't think this is Haru-chan and Naru-chan's first kiss do you?"
Tamaki face faulted and the twins froze in place, sharing a glance. "What?" The king asked, scandalized.
The two girls stood on either side of Kanako, each holding the opposite side of her chin as they leaned down to her cheeks. Suddenly Tamaki jumped up towards them.
"Wait, Haruhi! Naruto!" He yelled extending an arm in an attempt to stop the kiss. He ended up landing on one of the twin's banana peels and slipped, pushing Haruhi's back and forcing her into Naruto who ended up lip-locked with her friend.
Tamaki's eyes widened and the new couple stared at them as they jumped away, putting a hand to their lips. The blond male fell to the ground in a sulking heep and the two girls averted eye contact with pink dusting their cheeks.
The guests watched with hearts in their eyes, except two who were crying, and the host club members smiled. Kyouya's being more of a smirk and the twin's being more of a nervous 'oops-it-wasn't me' smile.
'I never would've thought I'd lose my first kiss to another girl, let alone my best friend.' Haruhi thought blushing, Tamaki reaching out to them with tears in his eyes, while Naruto fumed silently.
'Every. Damn. Time. It's always an accident! Some getting pushed into me, or me getting pushed into someone else! God damn it! Stupid Sasuke! Stupid Tamaki! Why me?! Can't I ever get an intentional kiss?' She thought angrily, wanting to stomp her feet and scream, but she held it in for the sake of her calm 'knightly' image.
They looked at each other. 'It was still an amazing night, so I guess it's just as well.' They thought smiling at each other, letting out a small laugh.
