Moxxie: Yo yo yo! It's ya boy Optic Scumpy!... wait. I mean HI GUYS! It's me your lovely writer! Host Club: Hi Moxxie!
Moxxie: So today I bring you teh next installment of Arisu's story with the dashing, the brave and the chivalrous Tamaki Suoh and his merry band of Hosts!
Tamaki: I have decided that I like this author and today she may sit with me, free of charge!
Haruhi: *sighs* great... that's exactly what he needs.
Hitachiin Twins: *Share a pointed look, smile mischievously* Hey look boss, a spider! Tamaki: OH GOD WHERE GET IT OFF ME! *Squeals like a girl*
Moxxie: O.O''... there's still dashing and chivalrous?
Kyoya: *Sighs* I see I'm stuck doing ANOTHER one of these... The writer acknowledges that Ouran High School Host Club, it's characters and storylines are creative properties of Bisco Hatori, Shojo Beat and VIZ Media. All original story and OC's are, however, creative properties of Moxxie Russo.
Hani: *Giggles* No Stealing!
Mori: Mitskuni. It's rude to interrupt people.
Hani: *cries*
The room was quiet, every student around Arisu locked in concentration. Classical music floated lightly, Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture. Arisa hummed lightly to herself, brushing the paint onto the canvas in front of her. Her and her grandmother had come to an agreement, she would take business classes for most of her electives as long as Arisu was able to pick one. When Arisu chose Drawing and Painting, her grandmother still found a way to tie it into the Company.
It will allow you to brush up on your design skills. Sayuri told her, to which Arisu rolled her eyes. Other than math, this was one class the Arisu found she excelled at. Since she was a child, she had loved drawing and her father always credited her with the design of Arisubani. Arisu wouldn't have any drawing skills if it wasn't for her father, though, as he used to sit down with her every night and they would draw each other's portraits.
"Arisubani, are you ready?" Akira asked, his hand filled with two drawing pads, several pencils and a pack of crayons. The little girl's eye lit up and she grinned at her father.
"Yes Chichi!" Arisu stood up, taking the pad from her father and sat down at the coffee table. Akira followed his daughter's lead, taking a seat opposite of her. He watched Arisu open the pad and take up the pink colored pencil, as per usual, and bit back a grin as she glanced up at him, her tongue out in concentration. Arisu began to draw, starting with a very lopsided circle and Akira watched her over his own pad.
"That looks very good." He told her, to which she giggle, adding two over sized squares for his glasses. Akira looked at his own picture, which was coming along nicely if he did say so himself. After another half hour and several bright crayon colors later, Arisu dropped her crayon to the table, grinning up at her father.
"Done!" She said happily, picking up her picture and looking at it proudly. Akira grinned at his daughter, taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt, before replacing them.
"Me too." He told her. In all honesty he had been done for a few minutes now, but he didn't like to rush her, you can't rush art. Shyly, the five year old held the pad out to her father and he took it, handing his off to her. He chuckled as her eyes grew wide and she gasped at his portrait of her.
"This is so good chichi!" The girl grinned, tracing her fingers over the drawn details of her face.
"Yours looks just like me, Arisubani." Akira smiled, holding it up next to his face. Arisu's smile fell as she looked between her father and her picture. Quietly she shook her head.
"No it doesn't." She pouted, taking the pad back from her father. Akira frowned at her, moving around the table to sit next to her. He pulled his young daughter into his lap, hugging her tightly and kissing the top of her head.
"I think it's beautiful, Arisu. Just like you." He tickled her sides and she cackled, squirming in his grip. after several seconds, Akira stopped, and Arisu stilled in his lap, still studying her picture.
"Chichi, do you think i'll ever be as good as you?"
"I think you already are." Akira said cheekily. Arisu shifted, looking up at him, her eyes narrowed.
"Be serious, chichi." Arisu said, her tone much too serious, so much so that Akira couldn't help but laugh at his daughter. Her serious look only intensified the more he laughed and after a few seconds he cleared his throat, straightening up and wiping his eyes. He couldn't help it, his daughter was too cute when she serioused up.
"If you keep practicing, you will be amazing one day, Arisubani." he hugged her tightly and she nuzzled into his chest. Akira place his chin on top of her head, sighing happily. "Even though you're already amazing to me."
Arisu was brought from her reverie by a violent shove from behind. She lurched forward, brush and pallet still in hand, horrified as the brush painted a thick line across her canvas, and she fell chest first into the pallet. Arisu froze, taking a deep, shaky breath as she pulled the pallet away from her chest, finding her uniform to be entirely ruined.
"Oops." A girl giggled sarcastically, taking her seat a few chairs down. Arisu watched as her and her friend whispered to one another, laughing amoungst themselves. Several other students too began to chuckle, catching the attention of Kikyo-Sensei. She frowned over her half rimmed glasses at the students in class, her eyes finally settling on Arisu.
"Arisu-San," The teacher sighed, standing up and walking over to her. Arisu didn't move, instead she stared down at her ruined uniform, biting her lip hard enough that she swore she drew blood. Her cheeks burned, she was mortified, and as she looked at her ruined canvas it took all she had not to scream. "It seems you will have to get a new uniform." Kikyo told her, obviously.
"Yes sensei..." Arisu whispered, as the teacher helped her to her feet.
"I'm not sure what happened, but this level of disrespect will not be tolerated from my students." Kikyo told the classroom. Her voice was serious, but it still didn't stop the laughing. Again Arisu made eye contact with the girl who shoved her, earning a wink in reply. "You can get a new uniform from Headmaster Suoh's secretary." Kikyo told her, as she ecorted Arisu to the door.
Quietly, Arisu made her way through the hallways, trying her best not to cry. She blinked back the tears, using her handkerchief to dab away the excess paint. Her handkerchief was ruined, to say the least, and had barely put a dent in the acryllic mess that was Arisu's chest. She sighed, crossing to the nearest garbage can and depositing her ruin hanky. Thankfully, the Headmaster's office was in the next building over, hopefully no one would see her like this.
Arisu suddenly felt nervous, walking up to the double doors that led to Headmaster Suoh's office. She sighed, looking down at herself, before brushing her hair behind her ears and straightening her skirt. She knocked once, a muffled 'come in' came in response. Slowly Arisu opened the door, surprised to find Headmaster Suoh alone in his office. He looked up at her from his paperwork, smiling as he did.
"Ah, Arisu-San..." Yuzuru was pleasantly surprised to see his newest student, but the pleasantry faded as he looked at her uniform. The girl was covered in paint, and he found himself frowning at her hagard appearance. "What happened to your uniform?"
"I... Fell... Into my painter's pallet." She told him. Yuzuru could hear the defeat in her voice, he knew she was lying and he cleared his throat, standing up from his desk.
"Don't worry, I think I may have a spare for you, What's your size?"
"Uh, womens medium." Arisu shifted awkwardly. Yuzuru nodded, crossing the room to a nearby closet. He disappeared through the door, returning a few seconds later wearing a frown and holding a dress bag however, this one held the boys uniform. "Usually we would apply it to your school fees, but since I don't seem to have any girls uniforms in your size, consider this one on the house."
"No, that's not necesary, Yuzuru-Sama..." Arisu sighed. Yuzuru shook his head, smiling at her happily.
"I insist." Arisu took the new uniform from him silently, bowing her head politely. She turned to leave, but Yuzuru cleared his throat, stopping her.
"After you've changed, I'd like for you to return to my office, if you have time." It wasn't a request, even though he said it like one. Arisu froze, suddenly very much worried about coming back. Yuzuru laughed at the terror on her face. "It's nothing serious, Arisu-San. I just wanted to check up with you to see how you were adjusting to your first week. I typically have a conference with new students at the end of their first week."
"Of course." Arisu breathed a sigh of relief, excusing herself politely as she turned and exited the office. It didn't take long for her to change and in a matter of minutes she returned to Headmaster Suoh's office. He'd buried himself in paperwork again, only stopping once she'd returned.
"Please, take a seat, Arisu-San." He pointed to the chair across from him. Arisu nodded, taking her seat quickly. The room went silent and Arisu fidgeted as it grew awkward. After a few seconds, Yuzuru cleared his throat, a deep frown forming on his face as he pulled Arisu's file. "How has your first week been?" It seemed like the best place to start.
"It's been fine." Arisu lied, thinking back to the difficulties she'd been having in Japanese and Japanese history. On top of her already failing grades, Arisu was also the subject of ridicule from quite a few students, most of them other girls. She'd forgotten how mean teenage girls could be over summer break.
Yuzuru gave her a tight smile, opening the folder in front of him. Silently he pulled out a piece of paper, looking it over briefly, before handing it to Arisu. She took it from him, recognizing it at her short answer test from Wednesday. She frowned, looking at the bright red number on the top: 0%. Arisu sighed, she knew she had failed that test. Half of it went unanswered and the half that was answered was written in broken Japanese at best.
"I'm concerned for you, Arisu, and not just as Dean of Students." Yuzuru frowned at her. Arisu couldn't even look at him, instead she trained her eyes on the big red zero at the top of the page. "I know how hard it can be, being the new student and a foreigner at that, but you can ask for help. No one will think any less of you."
"I know, it's just..." Arisu trailed off. She had nothing to say and instead gave a shrug.
"As long as you know." Yuzuru said softly, clearing his throat. "You may go back to class now, or the library is always open...?" He suggested, giving her a wink. Arisu chuckled, shaking her head.
Like father, like son.
Like she had done all week, Arisu arrived early to The Host Club. She wanted to get there before the rest of the girls, as her "networking opportunity" had not been going as well as her grandmother may have hoped. After her one on one with Tamaki on her first day, many of the girls were apparently plagued with jealousy and hadn't been very friendly to Arisu since. Not to mention the sporty, and comfortable, new boy's uniform she'd been forced to wear would certainly cause a riot.
"Ah, Arisu-San, you're early." Kyoya greeted her from the couch, barely looking up from his laptop. Arisu rolled her eyes.
"I'm early everyday, Kyoya-kun." Arisu told him, walking past him.
"And why is that?" Arisu stopped, his question holding some kind of undertone.
"Because getting pelted in the face with rose petals isn't my idea of fun." It's not that the statement wasn't true, but it definitely wasn't the reason she always came early. Kyoya smirked at her, returning to his laptop screen. He saw through her bluff, but decided not to call her out on it, as he had nothing to back it up. "Is Haruhi here?"
"I'm certain Haruhi-Chan is around here somewhere..." Kyoya hummed to himself, studying Arisu's appearance. This morning when she arrived, she had been wearing the girl's uniform, but at some point during the day she had changed, he'd heard several rumors floating about as to why, all of them involving art class. "I see you're wearing the boy's uniform." He stated bluntly. Kyoya was not known for beating around the bush.
"Ah, good, you aren't blind." Arisu smirked at him, avoiding his question entirely. Kyoya returned the smirk, standing from the couch.
Touche. He thought, her words seeming to him like a challenge, one that he willingly accepted. She didn't want to tell him, but he was certain he would get it out of her. He was curious as to what happened, and it bothered him that he only had hear/say to go by. Not that he cared, no, that was Tamaki's department, Kyoya just wanted to satisfy his need to know everything.
"What happened to your dress?" He inquired, hoping to hear the true story of her ruined uniform. Arisu narrowed her eyes at him.
"You already know, don't you?" Arisu groaned. Kyoya's glasses glinted under the fluorescent lighting, and he pushed them onto his nose. "Please don't tell Tama-Chan." Arisu begged.
"I'm afraid I can't promise that as half the school already knows." Arisu blinked at his words. "The rumor mill and all."
"Ari-puu!" A shrill voice cut through the air. Arisu froze, turning around to face what was certain doom.
"Of course." Arisu growled under her breath. Speak of the devil... She thought bitterly, as she came face to face with a frowning Tamaki. He crossed to her in three giant steps, taking her hand and pulling her close to him.
"I heard about what happened in art class! The entire paint closet collapsed on you? Are you injured?" He asked, checking her up and down. Arisu rolled her eyes, pulling away from him.
"I'm fine Tamaki." She snapped, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I fell into my painters pallet and it got all over my dress.. And how on Earth does a closet collapse on someone anyways?" Arisu argued finding the fact that he'd believe such an outrageous rumor to be absurd. Tamaki frowned at her, taking her in. She was currently in the boy's uniform, her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. He had to admit, he liked it on her preferring it to the yellow dress.
"That's not what we heard." The Hitachiin twins had joined the conversation now, stepping out from one of the back rooms.
"Yeah, we heard that Kurosawa Saika shoved you." The second brother grinned. She was certain it was Hikaru, as he was the only person she currently knew who got pleasure from other people's pain. Arisu glowered at them, she didn't really want her bullies to be common knowledge.
"Is that true, Arisu?" Tamaki asked her, his voice suddenly becoming serious. Arisu frowned at him, whenever Tamaki used her full name like that he meant business. Arisu sighed, rubbing her arm and looking at the floor.
"I'm sure it was an accident." Arisu made excuses for the girl, but Tamaki knew better. Saika-San was one of his regulars and though the girl was beautiful, she was equal parts devious. He knew that she was jealous of Arisu, he had overheard one of her conversations the other day with another Host Club regular. They weren't exactly fond of her lineage either.
"If you insist, Ari-puu." Tamaki sighed, not wanting to argue with her. He really had no proof other wise and even if he did, Arisu would deny it until she was blue in the face. Tamaki opened his mouth to speak, but Arisu cut him off.
"Is Haruhi here yet?" Arisu's question caught him off guard and he straightened, glancing over his shoulder and plastering a fake smile on his face. He was happy to hear that, as per their agreement, Arisu designated Haruhi or the remainder of the week.
"Haruhi-chan is already at his table." Tamaki told her, gesturing behind him.
"Ah, thank you, Tama-tama." Arisu thanked him, giving him a quick hug, before running off to find the Natural host. Tamaki watched her go, his smile dropping into a deep frown. The Hitachiin twins approached him quietly, watching Arisu enter the other room to find Haruhi studying at a far away table.
"What is it boss?" Hikaru asked him. Tamaki wasn't quite sure why but he was beyond angry with his regular. He wanted to remove her from The Host Club, the school even, but his rational side, however small it may be, told him that that was overkill. If he even talked to Saika about what happened, Arisu would be even more ostracized than she already was.
"I'd say he's worried." Kyoya spoke suddenly.
"Worried about what Kyo-Chan?" Hani asked, him and Mori suddenly appearing out of nowhere. That was a typical thing for those two, something that left Tamaki curious as to how they did it, considering how tall Mori was and how loud Hani was.
"Arisu-San." Mori spoke, pointing to Arisu and Haruhi.
"But why are we worried about Ari-Chan?" The young Lollita asked innocently, hoping down from Mori's shoulders. Tamaki wondered the same thing, it's not like she'd come to him with any concerns about bullies. But still... He sighed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Does it have to do with why she sighs in class all the time?"
"She sighs in class?" Tamaki asked, turning to look at the short host, as did the rest of the Hosts. Hani nodded his head, humming to himself.
"She looks so sad all the time and whenever I ask her about why she's sighing she just tells me she "thought of something frustrating." At first I though it was because of math, but Ari-Chan is good at it so that's can't be it... Right Tama-chan?" Mori simply nodded in agreement to what his cousin had just said. Hani studied the look on Tamaki's face, amused by what he saw. The Prince of the host club seemed genuinely worried for their newest friend, a thought which caused Hani to stifle a devious grin.
Arisu practically bolted across the room, glad to finally be away from Tamaki and the others. She couldn't handle the second degree questioning she had been subjected to and Arisu practically breathed a sigh of relief as she sat at the table with Haruhi. The boy blinked in surprise, tearing his eyes from his study materials to look up at Arisu.
"Ah, Arisu-San. Right on time." Haruhi grinned. Arisu was always here early, it was no surprise today, and to be honest, Haruhi appreciated the punctuality.
"Please, Haruhi, we've been over this. Call me Arisu." Arisu gave Haruhi a look, causing the host to chuckle.
"If you insist." Haruhi told her. Arisu smiled at the host for a moment or two, before biting her lip nervously. She didn't want to ask Haruhi for her help, it wasn't something she was used to as she'd never needed help like this before. Haruhi noticed her change in demeanor and cleared his throat. "What's wrong, Arisu?" Arisu blushed sheepishly before digging into her bag, brandishing a sheet of paper. Arisu held it out for him to take, which he did, nearly choking as he saw the score up top.
"I know, I know, it's really bad... Haruhi... I need help." Arisu asked, hanging her head in shame.
"Of course I'll help you, Arisu." Haruhi smiled at the girl, which shocked Arisu. She didn't expect her to be so willing. "That's what friends are for, right?"
"Friends?"
"Yeah, I like to think of you as one." Haruhi paused thoughtfully. "If that's alright with you of course?" Arisu's eyes grew wide and she beamed at the host in front of her. The only friend she really had in Japan was Tamaki up until now, she'd just assumed the Host's thought of her as a guest.
"Oh yes! Thank you!" The foreign girl exclaimed loudly, her voice echoing off of the walls. She covered her mouth, embarrassed, and looked around the room to find the remaining hosts staring at them. Apparently Haruhi had noticed as well.
"What are they staring at." Haruhi mumbled, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. Haruhi was very familiar that look that they were getting, and it never meant anything good.
"Should we run?" Arisu knew from her experiences with Tamaki that he was capable of a great, many things, a scary amount of great, many things, and from her limited experience with The Host Club, she learned they often went along with him. Haruhi shook his head, glancing at the clock on the wall.
"They wouldn't pull something this close to Hosting Hours." Haruhi told her, to which Arisu nodded. As if on cue, the door to the music room opened and girl began to pour in, saving Arisu and Haruhi from whatever plot the rest of the hosts had been thinking up. "So when do you want to start? I'm free on Saturdays...?" Haruhi offered.
"Saturdays sound great." Arisu beamed at her, tossing her horrendous test back into her bag. "I know it's short notice, but could we start tomorrow?"
By the time Arisu woke up the next morning, she was surprised to find that her grandmother was gone. The maids told Arisu that her grandmother had several affairs to work out and wouldn't return until dinner time. Silently, Arisu cheered, now she didn't have to explain to her grandma was she was going to Haruhi's to study.
After pulling on a pair of jeans and a cardigan, Arisu was sure to pack all of her books and notebooks, everything she would need to learn something new. She decided against taking the town car, as she was almost certain the driver would tell on her, and instead opted for the train. She'd taken the subway in New York when her mother and her had visited, this wasn't much different, right?
Wrong. Arisu underestimated how difficult it would be to travel Japan while being unable to successfully read Japanese. Once she'd finally arrived at the correct stop, Arisu was almost certain she was in the wrong place, until she found someone to point her in the right direction. Thankfully, Haruhi didn't live far from the train station and a few easily remembered turns later Arisu was standing outside of a quaint apartment building.
"I am so late." Arisu groaned, looking down at her watch. She was supposed to be here at noon, and here she was, forty five minutes later, knocking on the Haruhi's apartment door. She scolded herself for not getting Haruhi's cell number beforehand, as this whole situation could have probably been avoided. "I hope he isn't mad..." Arisu turned, looking over the balcony to the ground below. She was so embarrassed that she debated on whether a jump would end her or not. She heard the door clicked open behind her and Arisu froze.
"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Arisu turned, her eyes closed, afraid to even look at Haruhi. "I took the train and I didn't think about how hard it would be to find the right stop without being able to read Japanese and-" Arisu paused to catch her breath, opening her eyes. "I'm just really... uh... sorry?" The foreigner froze looking at the person who opened the door. In front of her stood a girl who was definitely her age, dressed in a modest blue dress and white sweater. Her short hair was held out of her face by a blue head band and she wore a pair of white house shoes. Arisu blinked several times, confusion evident on her face.
"I'm glad you made it Arisu, I was starting to think you'd cancelled." The girl spoke with a familiar voice, one that clicked in Arisu's brain.
"H-Haruhi?!" Arisu squeaked, earning a chuckle from the girl in front of her. Haruhi blushed, scratching the back of his (her?) head.
"Yeah, it's me. I suppose you're wondering why-"
"A-Are you a cross dresser?!" Arisu asked, rather loudly, to which she covered her mouth. Now it was Haruhi's turn to blink, as Arisu's question had caught her completely off guard.
Technically she isn't wrong... Haruhi thought to herself, amused. "Well, I guess you could say that..." Haruhi hummed to herself thoughtfully, all the while leaving Arisu at her door, still completely confused. "Why don't you come in? I'll explain everything before we start."
"I can't believe Tamaki is making you do this!" Arisu said, shocked that her childhood friend could be so mean. Haruhi had told her the story of the host club and she came to be a host, starting with the very expensive vase she'd accidentally broken. "I'll make him release you."
"No, really, it's okay. I mean, I kind of like it anyways. They're my friends, senpai." Haruhi told her, setting a white kettle and two tea cups on the table in front of her. Haruhi smiled to herself as she poured the tea for them, a smile the Arisu recognized immediately.
"You like one of those boys don't you?" Arisu teased. Haruhi visibly froze at Arisu's words.
"N-no. You're crazy." The Host stammered out, her face a lovely shade of pink. Arisu took a sip of her tea, raising her eyebrow at Haruhi over her cup. She didn't believe her, not for one minute. "I dunno, they can be crazy-"
"Insane."
"Insane." Haruhi chuckled at Arisu's correction. "But they're good guys and they always have everyone's best interests in mind, even Hikaru..." Haruhi paused thoughtfully. "Most of the time." She added as an after thought. Arisu gave her a disbelieving look and Haruhi laughed. It must be hard for her to imagine, with the way he constantly teases her. The two girls grew quiet, but not awkwardly so, and Arisu took another sip of her tea. "I have a couple things for you..." Haruhi spoke suddenly, crawling across the floor to her bag. Arisu watched her curiously as she rifled through, coming back with several books in tow. Haruhi held them out to Arisu, and she took them, laughing at the children's books in her hands. "I've never tried to teach someone something before, my dad taught me with these books. I figured once you get this down, we could move to harder stuff."
Arisu flipped the book open in her hands. They definitely were made for toddlers, the pages were wooden and had been teethed on at one point, mostly it was pictures and the Kanji was basic at best. It was very similar to the toddler books she'd had as a child, except hers were in English.
"They say English is the hardest language to learn and I've already mastered that right? So this should be easy!" Arisu grinned. Haruhi released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She wasn't sure how Arisu would take to the children's books, the last thing Haruhi wanted was for Arisu to feel like Haruhi thought that she was dumb.
There was a sudden knock at the door and the girls exchanged confused looks before Haruhi stood to answer it. Arisu watched her twist the knob, incredibly startled when Tamaki fell through the doorway, as he had been leaning on the other side. The blonde landed in a heap on the floor, Haruhi glaring down at him.
"What are you doing here senpai?!" Haruhi snapped, nudging his forehead with her foot.
"Daddy was worried when you didn't answer your phone! So I called mommy and the kids and we-" Tamaki stopped suddenly as him and Arisu met eyes. Tamaki's eyes grew three sizes and instantly he was off the floor, pointing at Arisu, horrified. "ARI-PUU! What on EARTH are you DOING here?!" He shrieked. Arisu held up the children's book wordlessly as two identical heads of red peaked around the door frame.
"Uh oh!" They said in unison.
"Looks like we may have a little problem." Kaoru said, amused. Tamaki felt himself beginning to sweat, he had to think of an excuse as to why Haruhi was dressed like a girl and quick.
"I guess Haruhi-Chan's little secret is out, isnt it? He's a cross dresser!" Tamaki exclaimed, satisfied with his paper thin excuse. Arisu, Haruhi and the twins wore matching expressions; Each one of them thought the Princely Host a moron.
"I know Haruhi is girl." Arisu deadpanned, causing Tamaki to visibly deflate.
"Yeah boss, even Arisu wouldn't believe that." Hikaru chimed, his brother and him now both inside. Arisu growled, chucking the toddler book at him, barely missing his head. It flew passed the door and Kyoya caught the book mid air, as he too stepped inside. Kyoya eyed both Arisu and Haruhi with silent amusement. He'd figured this day would come soon, luckily he'd thought of a contingency program.
"Well, this is an unexpected turn of events." Kyoya mused, his eyes dancing with delight.
"Did Tama-Chan say Ari-Chan was here?!" An excited voice asked as Hani raced passed Kyoya's legs. Arisu barely had time to prepare herself as Hani launched towards her, tackling her to the ground in a giant hug. "Ari-Chan! What are you doing at Haru-Chan's house?"
"Mitsukuni." A familiar deep voice came from the door. Mori had pushed passed Kyoya to chase his cousin, only to find he was too late; Hani had already glomped Arisu to the ground. Hani grinned sheepishly, releasing Arisu and sitting on the floor next to her, as he did not want to be forcibly removed like he had been last time.
"Well, Haruhi was supposed to be giving me Japanese lessons..." Arisu sighed, picking up another of the children's books and holding it up for everyone to see.
"Is that a toddler book?" Hikaru snorted. Haruhi glared at him, shoving him with her elbow before turning to Tamaki.
"Senpai, we've talked about this before. Just because I don't answer my phone doesn't mean I'm dead." Haruhi told him. Tamaki barely heard her as he was still staring at Arisu.
"Yeah, yeah, we get it you're alive." Hikaru huffed, crossing his arms. He was ready to get to the meat and potatoes of the situation, AKA Arisu.
"But what are going to do about this?" Kaoru finished for him, gesturing towards Arisu and Haruhi. The twins shared a mischievous look, Hikaru always liked it when they were on the same page.
"That is a good question." Kyoya interjected, stepping forward. "Now that she knows our little secret we can't very well let her leave." Arisu's eyes grew wide and she clutched the toddler book to her chest Tamaki sprang into action, rounding on Kyoya with a speed that Arisu had never seen before. The two began to squabble back and forth while Arisu watched. Every now and then Haruhi would have to intervene or the Hitachiin twins would insert their own mischievous comments, egging Tamaki on.
Arisu was so engrossed in the fighting that was going on across the room, that she barely noticed when Mori took a seat next to her and Hani. Quietly she looked at him, he was wearing the same stoic look he always did, despite the comedic value of the situation. Hani sat next to Arisu, a wide smile on his face as he, too, watched the show in front of him.
"Kyo-Chan was kidding. I think he just wanted to get a rise out of Tama-Chan." Hani giggled happily, glancing up at Arisu. Arisu breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing her fingers which were still tightly gripping the book she held.
"Mission accomplished." Arisu laughed, as Tamaki shouted something at Kyoya.
"Fine! But the Shady twins are to remain as far away from Ari-nii as possible!"
"Who are you calling shady!?" The twins guffawed in unison, identical fake pouts forming on their faces. Arisu raised a brow, the conversation seemingly coming to an end. Tamaki sighed dramatically, turning around and regaining his composure, before plastering a smile on his face.
"Kyoya and I have come to an agreement!" He exclaimed, just a dramatically as his sigh. "We have decided to make you a part of the Host Club!"
"No." Arisu replied plainly, causing Tamaki to deflate for a second time. There was no way she'd be caught dead entertaining any of those girls. Tamaki's lip began to quiver and Arisu took another sip of her tea, trying her best to ignore the puppy dog eyes he was giving her.
"But Ari-Puuuuu!" Tamaki whined, crossing the room and kneeling next to her. In a flash he had removed the tea cup from her hands, placing it back on the table, and took her hands in his. "If you refuse our offer, Kyoya says he'll have no choice but to erase your memory with one of his father's experimental medical procedures!" Arisu narrowed her eyes at him, wondering how on earth he could be so dense, until she glanced up at Kyoya. The Cool Host smiled at her devilishly.
"They're all currently in the testing phase, so we aren't sure how effective they'll be. You could lose a day, or you could lose five years." Kyoya told her confidently. Arisu was fairly certain he was bluffing, but the look in his eyes and the conviction in his voice made her quite unsure.
"There's no such science yet, Tama-Chan." Arisu told Tamaki, her voice not nearly as confident as Kyoya's had been. Tamaki gripped her chin, tilting it up to look at him. Arisu froze as she looked into his eyes, which pooled with untold emotions.
"You would risk forgetting me?" Tamaki whispered, hurt. Whether Tamaki believed what Kyoya said or not, She couldn't deny the hurt she saw in his eyes. Arisu sighed, defeated, she'd lost that argument too quickly for her liking.
"I'm not agreeing, but what is it you'd have me do?" Tamaki seemed to chipper immediately, however his hand did not leave her chin.
"It's simple, really. We need a manager of sorts, someone to keep track of our guests, our spending..." Kyoya trailed off. Arisu raised an eyebrow at him, pulling her chin away from Tamaki. She found it rather distracting to her while she was negotiating.
"You already do all of that." She argued. Kyoya smirked at her.
"It is true, I do all of those things already. It would simply be a title we would give you as it would be in our best interest to keep you close by." Arisu groaned, dropping her head. All she wanted to do was learn to read, how had she gotten roped into this? Her eyes glanced from Tamaki, who watched her expectantly, to Kyoya who smirked at her, he knew he'd won, negotiations over.
"Fine! Fine, I'll do it." Arisu begrudgingly agreed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She'd suddenly gotten a headache. Tamaki cheered happily, clapping his hands together.
"Now Haruhi will have another girl to hang out with! Perhaps you can help to make her more effeminate!"
"Senpai..." Haruhi growled, warningly. Tamki ignored her, smiling at Arisu, glad to have her on board. "I'll ignore that comment. You still haven't told me why you're here." Tamaki stood tall and proud, almost authoritative.
"Mandatory Host Club outing!" He yelled dramatically. Haruhi and Arisu sighed, neither of them up for anything Tamaki was about to suggest. "We're going to a commoner's mall!"
"Yay!" The Hitachiin twins cheered in unison. Haruhi glared at all of them, shaking her head. Arisu didn't understand the appeal. In america there wasn't a set mall for the wealthy, so Arisu had been to quite a few of them.
"Damn rich people." Haruhi muttered, begrudgingly grabbing her jacket. She gave Arisu a pointed look. "You'd better get up before they carry you out of here."
"I'd like to see them try." Arisu snorted, picking up her tea cup again. Mori stood, towering over her and Arisu eyed him suspiciously. Suddenly, she was thrown over his shoulder, kicking and screaming, while Hani skipped along behind them, smiling at her devilishly.
"I tried to warn you, Arisu." Haruhi sighed, following Mori, Hani and her out the front door, locking it behind them.
Haruhi directed them to the nearest mall, which was surprisingly close to her house. It was within walking distance, but the hosts whined until Haruhi allowed them to take the limo. Now Arisu and Haruhi walked quietly together, lagging behind the rest of the group. Tamaki and the Hitachiin twins were sightseeing; everything was amazing to them, from the food court to the "low end" retailers. Kyoya seemed bored, every once in a while he'd look up from his tablet and Hani sat excitedly atop Mori's shoulders.
"Oh look!" Arisu said excitedly as the two came upon a traditional Japanese clothing store. Haruhi stopped next to Arisu, glancing up at the boys who continued walking, oblivious. She snorted, deciding that maybe she didn't want to stop them, they find her and Arisu eventually.
But is the scene they are bound to cause when they find us going to be worth it? Haruhi mused to herself, weighing her options. Before she could decide, Arisu grabbed her hand, dragging the girl into the store after her. Arisu's eyes lit up, being from America she didn't have many traditional Japanese clothing stores around. Whenever she'd visit her father bi-yearly he always had new kimono's for her, but she'd never gotten to go to the store with him.
"I'm going to get a new kimono." Arisu said, her eyes full of wonder. Haruhi couldn't help but notice how she looked like a kid in a candy shop.
"You've never been to a Kimono store before?" Haruhi asked innocently. Arisu shook her head, fingering a brightly colored, floral yukata on a near by rack.
"No, In America we have Japanese stores, but nothing like this." Arisu grinned, taking the yukata off the rack and holding it up. Arisu noted how heavy it felt in her hands, it was of good quality, like the one's her father had bought her.
"I like that one, senpai." Haruhi smiled at her, grabbing the sleeve and holding it up to Arisu's eyes. "It looks good with your eyes, brings out the green."
"Really? It has so many layers..." Arisu frowned. It was a more formal yukata, not one she'd wear out casually.
"Well I think that one is for married women." Haruhi told her, upon taking a closer look. She chuckled watching Arisu scramble to put the kimono back on the rack. Arisu's face burned scarlet and she dropped her head.
"I don't know anything about Japanese culture." Arisu sighed, earning a frown from Haruhi. "I don't even think I belong here. Maybe I should just go back to America..." Arisu began again to fumble through the kimono's around her, this time less enthusiastic. She couldn't even read the language, how could she be expected to run a multi-million dollar company?
"If you went back to America who would help me with those clowns?" Haruhi joked, talking about the host club. "You'll be fine, we'll get you reading and writing in no time. Soon you'll be reading circles around me."
"Do you think so?" Arisu asked, her pout turning into a frown. Haruhi grinned at her happily.
"Of course, senpai. I wouldn't have said it if i didn't." The girls grew quiet, both of them returning to the rack. "What about this one?" Haruhi said after a few silent minutes of searching. The female host had found a nice Yukata a few racks down, in practically the same color, only simpler, meant for an unmarried woman. Arisu turned to look at it, her eyes growing wide at the silky fabric.
"That's beautiful." Arisu said happily, as Haruhi handed the hanger to her.
"It really is." A voice suddenly spoke from a few feet away. Arisu and Haruhi looked up to find an older gentleman standing in a different aisle. He was a few year their senior, probably a university student, and he walked over to them with a smile. "That would be worn at a spring festival though, not during the fall." He told them.
"Ah, you're right." Haruhi forced a smile. The man turned, diving into the racks next to them. He glanced up at Arisu, his eyes trailing down her body as he studied her, before humming to himself, satisfied. Haruhi narrowed her eyes at him.
"You'll want a komon." He said finally, turning to the girls once more. "married or...?" he trailed off, fishing for his answer. Haruhi shifted uneasily, she didn't like the way he looked at her friend.
"Unmarried." The host glanced up at Arisu who answered him innocently, earning an even wider grin from their college-aged helper. He pulled a deep red and cream patterned komon off the rack, holding it up to Arisu's chest, as if to see what it would look like on her. Arisu froze as his hand rubbed against her cheek and instinctively she took a step away. The man frowned at her, taking a step forward and reaching out to catch her hand. Arisu tried to pull away from him, but his grip was tight. She looked down at her wrist and then up at the man who suddenly seemed so menacing. "Let go, please."
"I'm just trying to help, lets get you fitted." The sentence was innocent enough had it come from anyone else, but the gleam in this man's eyes was anything but helpful now. "This would look beautiful against your tanned complexion."
"She asked you to let go of her." Haruhi said suddenly, grabbing the man's hand and trying to pry his fingers from around Arisu's wrist. The man shoved her back, sending her falling into a rack of silk Kimonos.
"Haruhi!" Arisu reached for her, but someone else got there first, Arisu was surprised to see it was Tamaki. A flash of red hair and Arisu had been released from the man's grip, who now fell to the floor, stunned. One of the Hitachiin twins stood over him, his eyes slits, while the other stood behind him.
"Kaoru, would you mind?" The Hitachiin in front of her, Hikaru, gestured to the man on the ground. Kaoru smiled pleasantly at his brother.
"Not at all. How about we give you a few lessons in chivalry..." Kaoru trailed off, his eyes flashing menacingly. Hikaru turned to Arisu, scanning her quickly, before his eyes fell to Haruhi, who had managed to crawl out from under the kimonos she'd been thrown into, with Tamaki's help.
"Haruhi..." Hikaru whispered, kneeling next to the girl, who was holding her wrist to her chest. Hikaru took her wrist in his hand, looking at it with a frown.
"I'm fine, when that guy pushed me I fell weird on it. I just need some ice." She tried to brush off. Arisu watched as her friend tried to pull her hand away from Hikaru, only to have him hold on tighter, not wanting to let go of her.
"Haruhi, I-I'm so sorry!" Arisu apologized, looking over her shoulder at the man behind her. The store owner had appeared out of no where, as had Kyoya, and now teh two were talking heatedly. Hani and Mori had also joined him, the later currently subduing the lecherous customer while the former was on the phone with someone. Kaoru stood next to Mori, over seeing his own handiwork with a rather bored expression
"It's okay, Arisu. I'm fine." Haruhi groaned, pushing off the ground as Hikaru helped her. Hikaru shot Arisu a dirty look, leading Haruhi off to the side. Tamaki stood as well, watching Haruhi and Hikaru sadly before plastering a smile on his face. His expression didn't escape Arisu's attention no matter how briefly it was there.
"Did he hurt you?" Tamaki asked Arisu quietly. She shook her head, but Tamaki frowned at her, taking her hand in his and pulling the sleeve of her cardigan back. Her wrist was red and would probably be a bruise in a few minutes. Tamaki's frowned deepened and he looked up at Arisu. "Your wrist."
"I'm fine Tamaki, Haruhi is the one who's injured."
"And Hikaru is taking care of her," Tamaki pointed out. Arisu followed his gaze, seeing how Hikaru removed his over shirt, fashioning a make-shift sling out of it, much to Haruhi's chagrin. "So let me take care of you."
"I said I'm fine!" Arisu snapped suddenly, catching Tamaki off guard. She snatched her hand away from his, frowning over at her friend who still sat clutching her wrist. Arisu was angry with herself, Haruhi was injured because of her. She sighed, glancing once more at Tamaki before turning and walking out of the store, not noticing the torn way Tamaki stared after her.
Geesh, my chapters for this story are so damn long! I apologize... but also I don't. Muahaha!
Also... I don't know HOW many of you have noticed this but, All of my extras are named after popular manga/anime characters. can you find them all :D (it's like a game now teehee)
As always, reviews are beautiful and always appreciated! I love hearing your feedback!
Stay Beautiful!