Disclaimer: I do NOT own Ouran Highschool Host Club nor any of the characters from it.
CHAPTER TWO:
"Falling In Love – The Ouran Spring Dance"
Rin sighed as she exited the library, packing up her books and placing them into her school bag. She had her classical music playing through her headphones as she walked down the now familiar halls of Ouran, noticing the time written on her golden watch.
Students stared as she walked down the halls, but she wasn't as nervous as before. She had gotten used to them after having to serve the males in the Host Club, and news of a female host had spread fast among the girls.
She stood in front of the doors, slipping her hand around the handle before she turned it, opening the pink doors. The room was decorated with authentic palm trees and animals, such as chameleons, toucans, butterflies and even a live snake.
And even though she had been hosting for about two months or so now, she still could never get used to their strange costume ideas.
She looked over to the centre of the room and saw the regular six guys, expect they were shirtless. She wouldn't deny that she normally she loved to see six shirtless guys standing there, waiting for her, but their personalities got in the way of that sometimes.
Especially with these ones.
"Rin-chan! You're here!" Tamaki called, his cheery mood bursting through. "Can you come over here for a minute?"
She placed her bag down near the front of the door as she walked over to the jumping Tamaki. "Why are you dressed so…undressed?" she asked, making sure she never made eye contact with a certain red haired twin.
Kyoya smirked, the smug look on his face nothing unusual. "It's the theme for today. Couldn't you tell?"
"I do have eyes genius. Some of us don't need help with being able to see," she said as she gave him a glare before she quickly went back to her normal self she portrayed to the others. He'd probably write something about her in his little black book now.
Oh well.
"Let me guess, I've got an outfit too?" she asked, and she already knew the answer once the twins gave their mischievous smirks, holding up her outfit. A short, short-sleeved light blue dress with a white floral pattern and transparent lace over the top; along with a pair of white high heels.
She glanced at the outfit in awe, almost amazed that they could make sure beautiful costumes for women. She quickly grabbed hold of it as she went into the changing room, straightening her dress out as she slipped it on. She quickly formed her hair into a braid hanging over her right shoulder before she headed back out, noticing that everyone in the room had gone dead silent as they stared at the door.
She knew why once she heard the sound of footsteps coming closer. Tamaki got everyone into position like they had rehearsed it a million times, which was probably true in Tamaki's case. The door then opened, the bright light shining through as the red rose petals flew in the air.
"Welcome," they said in unison, which Rin always found weird as there was no verbal que from any of them. It was like they all could read each other's minds.
But all that trouble was useless once they noticed that the person who had entered the room wasn't a guest, but Haruhi Fujioka.
When I opened the door, there were the south tropics.
Mother, up in Heaven, this is the club I was forced to join last week, the Ouran Host Club, Haruhi thought bitterly.
"The Job of a High School Host!"
"Oh, it's you, Haruhi. You're late," the twins commented as a toucan landed straight onto Haruhi's head.
"According to my calendar, this is definitely still early April," Haruhi said, pulling out her mini-calendar from inside her blazer pocket.
"Huddling under a kotatsu table, fearing the cold would be nonsense!" Tamaki exclaimed, prancing over to Haruhi with his designer fan. "Why else do we have this perfect heating and cooling system?"
"Do you have some sort of criticism of our club's policies?" Kyoya asked. "Haruhi-kun, you owe us a debt of 8 million yen."
Haruhi gasped as she remembered the vase that she had smashed on her third day at Ouran and now she was stuck trying to pay off a debt which she couldn't afford.
"Fine men do not bundle up in bulky clothing," Tamaki continued. "It may be chilling early spring out in the world, but in our club, we welcome our chilly little kittens to a warm, south tropical aura! Yes! Today, this place is a supreme paradise, a hot, hot island of everlasting summer!"
"I, on the other hand, feel a chill in every sense of the word," Haruhi groaned.
…
"Those with the wherewithal-first, in social standing, and second, with money – spend their time here, at the private Ouran Academy. As such, Ouran Host Club is where the handsome boys with too much time on their hands entertain and charm the girls who also have too much time on their hands.
It is the school's own personal, elegant playground for the super-rich."
…
The Host Club is now open for business
As Rin walked over to her table, she noticed three men sitting down already as they waited for her to come and entertain them. She gave them a heart-warming smile, and two of them blushed.
"Nice to see you too," she said with a giggle as she sat down in the middle, them being too smittened to have any coherent thought. "So, anything interesting happen? Something exciting?"
"Nothing yet," the third guest said with a smirk. "But the day's not over yet."
She tried to hide the temptation to roll her eyes. He had requested her about seven times now, and each time he just became more perverted and flirty which made her very uncomfortable. A lot of girls had warned her about him and how he'd flirted with every cute girl in the school. And since she was on display like this, she was his new target.
He leaned a little closer, making her feel very small under his lustful gaze. She knew the other two boys were staring at him in anger, not from jealousy, but from making her feel uneasy.
She turned her head away from him, meeting with someone's angered eyes as he stared over at the guy in front of her. Hikaru. Kaoru stared at his brother, wondering what was going on with him, which made her cheeks burn as she quickly turned away from his gaze.
Keep it together, Rin. You're stronger than this.
"Is that for me?" the boy asked, noticing her red cheeks.
"Could you please move back a little? You're making me very uncomfortable," she replied, looking down at the table instead of him.
"But you're supposed to entertain me. You're not doing your job too well then, huh?"
Oh god, how she hated this guy with a burning passion. Tamaki had issued a rule in regards to the boys, and that was none of them could touch her or get too close to her without her permission. If violated, those rules would take effect and they would be escorted out of the Host Club.
Clearly this guy never followed the rules.
"Hey, leave her alone," one of her guests said.
"It's obvious that she doesn't want you here, so back off."
The other boy rolled his eyes, slowly leaning back. He stood up, sliding his chair against the ground as he did so. "Call me when you get bored. Maybe I'll give you some entertainment instead." He gave her a wink as he tossed her a piece of paper before he walked out of the room.
She looked down and written on the piece of paper was his phone number and his address. She shredded up the paper as she tossed the pieces like confetti into the air and away from her.
She turned back to the two boys, a thankful smile on her face. "Thank you, I was worried he was going to do something there for a second."
"Anyone else would do the same," one of them muttered, embarrassed, which only made her laugh.
"No, they wouldn't. Thank you. I really appreciate it."
Hayashi-Bellerose Rin, High School 1st-Year
The two blushed as they watched her smile increase till it reached her eyes, her cheeks naturally turning red. As she heard footsteps behind her, the smile quickly faded as she thought the guy had returned.
Instead, it was just Kyoya.
"Hayashi-san, it's your turn to serve the guests."
She of course didn't miss the smile that came across Hikaru's face when he noticed that guy had gone, which made her cheeks burn again.
…
Rin sighed as she looked around the room, not being able to get the image of that guy out of her head. If those guys hadn't stepped in when they had, who knows what could have happened before? And that guy had never made that much of a move on her before. She wondered what was so different about today that made him act differently.
She felt a poke on her shoulder and turned to see Haruhi handing her a tropical drink, noticing her worried glances around the room. Rin took it out of her hands and chugged the whole thing in one shot, almost like it was alcohol.
"Remind me to never give you a drink," Haruhi said as she took the empty glass away from Rin's grasp. "What's up with you?"
"Didn't you see that guy that gave me his number and his address? And he was getting way too close for my liking."
Haruhi nodded. "What a sleaze. I thought Hikaru was going to over there and solve it himself."
Rin glanced over at Hikaru, noticing how happy he looked as he talked to his brother. She noticed his glance move to hers, and the two made brief eye contact before they both looked back to what they were supposed to be doing.
"Didn't you lose a customer once?" Rin asked, changing the subject.
Haruhi gulped as her face paled as the memory came back. One of the customers walked out after seeing Rin have a conversation with Haruhi and she was pretty jealous of her. Kyoya was very annoyed with Haruhi for not paying attention to her enough, but he was only saying that because he wanted to earn the money from the customers.
And because it had happened so suddenly, Tamaki had come in and saved her, saying it was a one-time thing since she was a rookie. But if you asked Haruhi, she would tell you a different version of that story.
Kyoya had informed all of Rin's guests that she wouldn't be available for half an hour as she would be serving, but they were free to sit around and watch her if they wanted. The female guests seemed to like another female serving them tea and cakes instead of a male, though she had no idea why that would have been, considering they were all over the males here.
But if it meant more popularity, it was necessary in Kyoya's eyes.
"Tamaki's table needs cleaning," Rin said as she grabbed her tray and started to walk over, noticing Haruhi following close behind.
"What heartlessness!" Tamaki exclaimed. "Even with my lustrous skin, like ivory, and my outfit, like that of a Balinese King, all too fitting for me, I am no more than a slave before my goddess, kneeling, and swearing my loyalty."
Suou Tamaki, High School 2nd-Year
"Tamaki-kun…"
"Tamaki-sama…"
"Fantastic!"
"Oh yes, next week, Ouran Host Club will be sponsoring a dance party."
"A dance party?" Haruhi asked as they walked away from his table.
"Haven't you heard? Tamaki's been talking about it for the past week now so much I'd thought my ears would bleed."
"I just tune him out most of the time."
"What will you be doing at this dance party?" one of the twins' guest asked.
"We're renting the large hall in the central building…" Hikaru started.
Hitachiin Hikaru, High School 1st-Year
"…And throwing a big main event there," Kaoru finished.
Hitachiin Kaoru, High School 1st-Year
"Although, I really wanted to spend the time alone with you, Kaoru."
"Don't say that, Hikaru. I'm the one who really wanted it…"
"Fantastic!" the girls squealed.
"Brotherly love, with a south tropical flavour!"
"The guests seem even more worked-up than usual, huh?" Haruhi asked.
"Yeah, I know, even the guys were affected," Rin said.
"A little moderate exposure is popular," Kyoya said, writing something down in his book.
"Did you come up with this tropical project, Kyoya-senpai?"
"I have no decision-making authority. This club's policies are all laid out by the King, Tamaki. Although, I may have found it worth the effort to casually slip a photo book of Bali onto his desk."
Otori Kyoya, High School 2nd-Year
"So you really did influence this theme," Rin muttered, but Kyoya didn't reply. He didn't need to as they already knew the answer.
"Ta-da!" Honey-senpai exclaimed as he bounced over to his guests, a red flower necklace around his neck.
"Honey-kun, you're so cute!" his guests squealed.
"Hee hee, these are Balinese flowers. We had them flown in." He noticed Mori-senpai walking over, holding a pineapple in his hands. "Ah, Takashi!" He climbed up Mori-senpai's body until he reached his neck, wrapping another red flower necklace around his neck. "Look! Now we match!"
Morinozuka Takashi, ('Mori' for short) High School 3rd-Year
Haninozuka Mitsukuni, ('Honey' for short) Highschool 3rd-Year
"You're all in camellias!" one exclaimed as the other fainted.
Haruhi sat down to entertain her guests as Rin set up the table for her and the three girls who had been patiently waiting for Haruhi.
"Haruhi-kun…"
"Haruhi-kun, aren't you going to wear a south tropical outfit?"
"I'd sure like to see that."
"Oh Rin, you're dress is amazing! Where did you get it?" one of the girls asked as they sipped on their drink, staring in awe at the dress.
"I'm not sure, it was just given to me," she replied as she handed the third girl her drink.
"Lucky…"
"No, I…I just think that it's natural to wear an early-spring outfit during early spring," Haruhi said nervously.
"He's a very traditional man, ladies," Rin said with a smile.
"Haruhi, we have one ready for you," Tamaki said. "What's more, it's paired with mine."
"No thank you."
"Haruhi-kun, you have a strong sense of the seasons, huh?" one of the guests asked.
"Then I hope that the cherry blossoms are in full bloom for the dance party."
"The two of us, dancing among the fluttering cherry blossoms…"
"It's so dreamy!" they all chorused.
"You really think so? Ladies, you're so cute to have such dreams," Haruhi said.
Fujioka Haruhi, High School 1st-Year
The girls blushed as they smiled in amazement.
Haruhi = the Host Club's promising natural rookie
"Excuse me…I believe that it's just about time for designee changes," a girl said as she approached the table, standing beside Rin as she stared down at Haruhi.
"You'd be correct," Rin said with a nod, making the girl smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You must be my next appointment, Miss…" Haruhi trailed off.
"Kasugazaki Kanako, 2nd-Year Class B. You're even cuter than the rumours." She placed a hand on Haruhi's chin, tilting it up so their eyes met. "I've made up my mind. I'm going to make you my new favourite."
Tamaki gasped in horror as his whole body went white.
…
The sun had set over Ouran as Tamaki sat gloomily near the window, slurping on the ramen that Haruhi had purchased. "I can't accept this," he grumbled.
"Tamaki, can you stop slurping on those noodles?" Rin asked politely as she sat down on one of the chairs beside the twins, who remained standing. He didn't answer as he continued to stare out the window depressed.
"Sir, stop eating that commoner's ramen and come help us with the dance party planning," Hikaru called.
"Is Princess Kasuga talking a liking to Haruhi really bothering you that much?" Kaoru asked.
"Her illness isn't something that just started, right?" Kyoya asked, typing away on his pineapple computer.
"Illness?" Haruhi asked.
"What kind of illness?" Rin asked.
"Wandering host-hopping disease," Hikaru said.
"Otherwise known as never-the-same-boy-twice disease," Kaoru clarified.
"Usually, our regular customers designate the same host in perpetuity, but she tends to change her favourite on a regular basis," Kyoya informed.
"Up until last time, she was with Tama-chan, right?" Honey-senpai said as he held onto his pink bunny.
The pair in days gone by (one week ago)
"Jealously?" Rin asked.
"Ah, this is because he had his guest taken from him?" Haruhi asked.
"It is not! That's not why!" Tamaki screamed as he rushed over, slamming his hands on the table. "I'm at the limits of my patience! Haruhi, start dressing like a girl! Just like Rin does!"
Haruhi looked down at Rin's outfit which she had changed out of her school uniform. She had on a dark blue dress with a white collar, belt and underlayer.
Rin dressed too girly and revealing for Haruhi's tastes.
"Why do you have to be so, woefully popular with the girls, when you yourself are a girl!? To put it bluntly, the only ones who know that you're a girl are in this club!"
"She's opted out of taking any gym classes," Hikaru said.
"Attendance numbers are mixed between boys and girls, so no one can tell."
"What did you say about my clothing?" Rin asked.
He, of course, ignored her as he pulled out a giant chest from…out of pretty much nowhere and started rummaging through it, looking for something.
"Daddy…Daddy…wants to see you the way you were back then!" he cried as he pulled out a giant, framed picture of Haruhi's student I.D picture where she had long hair and her middle school uniform on.
"Please don't go blowing up my photos without asking me!" Haruhi screamed.
The framed picture was now hanging on the wall for everyone to see, Tamaki sobbing as he crouched down in front of it.
"The more I look at this, the more I marvel at it," Hikaru said. "How is it that this can become that?"
"Shh, don't be so rude," Rin whispered as she nudged him. He just gave her a smirk in response, knowing that when someone told him to do something, he'd do the complete opposite, just like his brother.
"The day before the entrance ceremonies, I had some gum stuck in my hair from one of the children in the neighbourhood," Haruhi explained. "It was such a pain to get out that I cut it off. Ore didn't care really if I looked like a boy."
Ore = I
"Wouldn't have guessed that," Rin muttered, making Hikaru smirk.
"And you tell me to be nice," Hikaru whispered into her ear, making her shiver.
"Girls should not be referring to themselves as 'ore'!" Tamaki screamed. "Mommy! Haruhi is using dirty words!" He pulled out a handkerchief and started sobbing into it as he crumpled down to the floor.
"Who's 'Mommy'?" Kaoru asked.
"From a club position standpoint, I guess I am," Kyoya said with a sigh.
"Well after all, I can pay back more of my debt before I graduate by being a designated host, than I can as an errand boy," Haruhi said.
"By the way, do you have any experience in social dancing?" Hikaru asked. "It's essential for the party."
"Huh? No, but the party has nothing to do with my quota, right? I'm not all that interested in going to events, so if I could be excused…"
Tamaki's eyes glinted yellow as he thought of an evil idea, making Haruhi already hate it as she knew she would regret doing it.
"No, social dances are a common practice for gentleman," Tamaki said. "If you want to walk the path of the host that badly, then you have to show us how far you're willing to go, Haruhi-kun. If you cannot master the waltz in one week and demonstrate it to us at next week's party, then I will expose the fact that you are a girl, and bust you back down to errand boy!"
Debtor student
"Rin, you're going to be a guest at this party as most of the males won't be interested in a dance, so you must learn the waltz as well."
"Why do you say that? How do you know that I don't know how to dance?"
"That sentence," the twins said, pointing at her.
"Alright, I get it. But who would take their time to teach me?"
"And who am I going to find to teach me?" Haruhi asked.
The next day
"Quick, quick, slow…Quick, quick, slow…Good, Haruhi-kun. On 'slow' bring your feet together," Kanako said as the two danced around the room. "The gentleman always leads. Be sure to look at the girl you're dancing with."
"Right," Haruhi said, but he yelped as he tripped over his own foot and fell down, dragging Kanako down with her as she landed on top of her. "I'm so sorry, Kasugazaki-san!"
Kanako put on a smirk as she wrapped her arms around Haruhi's neck, pulling her closer. "That's all right, Haruhi-kun."
"You're looking gloomy, sir," the twins said as they watched Tamaki sitting on the windowsill, depressed once again as he watched Haruhi and Kanako.
"He said that he wanted to be the one she practiced with," Hikaru said.
"He's too tall to stand in as a woman for Haruhi-kun," Kaoru said.
"Hey guys," Rin said as she poked the two on the shoulder, making them turn to face her. "Can one of you teach me how to waltz?"
"Why not ask Tamaki?" they asked in unison, making his eyes widened as a smile came onto his face.
"I'm sorry Tamaki, but you were the one who told me I needed someone of similar height to dance with. And you're too tall."
He went back onto the windowsill, depressed. She walked over to him and patted him on the back with a smile. "How about instead of you teaching me, I'll save you the first dance?"
He was silent for a moment before he turned around with a big grin on his face. "Well then, I guess it's alright to practice with one of them."
The twins looked over at each other, shrugging. They were clueless as to how she had so easily persuaded him, as if Haruhi had been in her situation he would have denied it over and over again.
Kaoru thought of an idea as he smirked, whispering over to his brother. "Why don't you dance with her?"
"Me? Why me? Why don't you do it?"
"A brother knows what's best."
Hikaru was confused. What had led him to say that?
"Is this because of…?"
"It's more than that," Kaoru said with a wink, before he sat down on the couch.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. He knew that what he had said to Kaoru might have had something to do with this, but all he was doing was simply asking for help on what he was feeling and what it meant.
Rin turned back around from dealing with Tamaki, noticing that Kaoru was seated on the couch, pressing play on the stereo. He had an evil smirk on his face as Hikaru stood in the middle of the room, not knowing what to do.
"Now, start the dancing!" Kaoru called out.
"Kaoru, shut up!" Hikaru called back, making Kaoru try and hide the laughter he so desperately wanted to let out.
"This is a volunteer?" she asked. "Or were you forced?"
"You can perceive it however you want," he replied.
She gave a smile. "I'll take it as you wanted to dance with me so bad that it was going to kill you. Now, let's get over this before I start going insane."
Hikaru turned to see his brother making kissy faces at them like a five year old. "I could drag you up here if you want," Hikaru said with a glare, the heat going to his cheeks from embarrassment.
"Oh no, I'm fine over here," Kaoru said, the smirk back on his face.
Rin giggled, which made Hikaru blush even more. Normally, he wouldn't blush at a girls' simple actions, but he knew there was something about her that was different, but he couldn't point out what it was or what he was feeling.
Kaoru smirked as he watched Hikaru try to instruct Rin on how to dance, though that didn't stop him from flirting every now and again like he normally would. But this made Kaoru's smile grow knowing how much Hikaru hated dancing.
However, he didn't seem to mind when he was dancing with Rin, almost as if she distracted him from his hatred. He sighed as he watched them, knowing that Hikaru would soon be taking steps that Kaoru wouldn't be able to take with his brother. The steps into becoming an individual.
…
The two sat down on the giant red couch, both of them tried from the extensive amount of dancing they were forced to do by Tamaki, their instructor. She groaned as she lied her head down into Hikaru's lap, resting her legs over the arm chair.
"Comfortable?" he asked with a smirk.
"Yes actually, thank you for asking," she said with a smile.
"Are you two going to get back to work or are you going to continue slacking off?" Kyoya asked as he walked over, adjusting his glasses as he stared down at the two of them.
"We're just taking a break. Give us five minutes," she said with a groan, holding a hand over her eyes to shield from them witnessing Kyoya's face. He looked down at his watch, the beeping indicating that he was setting a timer.
"I'm holding you to that, Hayashi-san."
She could hear the thumping of his feet as he walked away, making her glare under her hand as she felt her mouth twitching as she tried to stop herself from cursing. But that didn't mean she couldn't do it in French. "Fais chier," she whispered under her breath.
Fais Chier = Damn it
"What does that mean?" Hikaru asked as she removed her hand, glad to see that it wasn't Kyoya's face that tainted her vision.
"I'm guessing you don't take French?" she asked.
"I do, I'm just not good at it…What's his problem anyway?"
"He holds a grudge against me for us breaking up a few months ago. I don't understand why though, since he broke up with me. But I guess some people will blame you no matter what."
She sighed as she closed her eyes, her voice almost monotone. It wasn't that she didn't feel anything from the breakup, but she quickly realised that it wasn't the love she had hoped for, it was emotionless and unreal. No love. At least from Kyoya's side of the relationship.
Rin had put everything in that relationship only to be crushed once again by a boy who didn't know how to express any emotion. If he had any. And it didn't help that she falls in love easily and when she does, she falls hard.
Yeah, that defiantly didn't help.
Hikaru didn't want to pry further as he knew that Tamaki would go nuts at him, but he really wanted to know more. As he glanced over at Kyoya, then back at the girl beside him, he never could have guessed that those two would have dated. And he wasn't surprised that it ended.
But he was surprised that she wasn't the one who ended it with him. He couldn't comprehend how anyone would want to break up with her. She seemed almost too perfect to be real. Who would want to throw that away?
Certainly not him if he had the chance.
Kyoya stood over at the side, adjusting his glasses as he looked down at his watch before glancing back at them. He was watching them closely. He then wrote something down in the black book, a scowl evident on his face which he tried to hide behind the book.
Hikaru smirked as he got a wicked idea. Not only would it tick off Kyoya and give her a little taste of revenge, but anything that got him closer to her was an amazing bonus.
"Well, look what he's now missing out on?" he asked with a smirk.
She looked up, staring into his hazel eyes. Even though he and Kaoru had the same coloured eyes, there was something about Hikaru's that made her content with just staring at them. She could get lost in his eyes. "What would that be?" she asked.
He leaned down closer until he was only a few centimetres from her face. "A beautiful hostess," he whispered into her ear, making her cheeks flush as she squirmed under his powerful gaze. But she giggled as she pushed his face away, a smile present on her face.
"You're such a flirt," she said through her giggles, making him chuckle.
As Kyoya watched, he turned his head as his pen snapped in half. He quickly noticed the black ink on his hand and sighed, shaking his head.
…
"Thank you so much, Kasugazaki-san for letting me practice with you," Haruhi said as Kanako was seated down at a table with snacks and tea.
"Oh, that's okay. I hear you're refraining from entertaining any customers so you can get in some special training, aren't you? I'm that much happier to have you all to myself."
"Yeah…" Haruhi trailed off, feeling a little uncomfortable from her gaze.
"Oh, my! You got new cups? Ginori, right?"
"Jinori?" Haruhi asked, confusing the two words.
Jinori = land-grown seaweed
"You do indeed have a keen eye. They arrived only yesterday," Kyoya said. "Lately, our club has been seeking to improve its tea sets."
"I see. It's a nice colour. Very lovely."
"You must really like tableware, huh?" Haruhi asked.
"N-n-not really, no, I don't. My word, what are you talking about?"
Rin shook her head. She's not very subtle.
"Hello, I've brought the teacups you ordered," a male voice called as they walked through the door, holding a box in their hands.
Kanako gasped as he grip on the cup tightened, recognising the voice.
"Ah, thank you," Kyoya said as he walked over to the man. "Every item that you choose for us is popular with the girls. It's very impressive."
"That's good to hear."
"Are you a dealer?" Haruhi asked as she walked over to them.
"I'm just a regular student. I'm wearing a uniform, see?"
"Haruhi-kun, you're so funny," Kanako said with a fake laugh. "Still, I can't blame you. He doesn't look like the heir to a first-class corporation, after all."
"Heir?" Rin and Haruhi asked in unison.
"Who even is this guy?" Rin whispered.
"His family business, Suzushima Trading, is a company whose business centres around the importing of tablewares. Currently, it has the top market share in the country," Kyoya said, reading from his black book.
"Oh, yeah?" Haruhi asked.
"Wow," Rin whispered in awe.
"Impressive huh?" the twins asked, resting an arm each on her shoulders.
"So whenever anything exceptional comes in, we've asked him to send it our way," Kyoya continued. "That's because we trust your eye for these things, Suzushima-kun."
During this, Kanako and the guy were exchanging glances, almost saddened as she turned away to face her green teacup again.
"Oh, no, my eye still has a long way to go."
"Your studying abroad in England starts next month, was it?"
"Yes. Well, I'll be off." There was a slight hint of sadness in his voice before he bowed, turning back around and exiting the room and closing the door behind him. Kanako kept her gaze down at the tea cup in her hands.
"Are you enjoying the Host Club?" Tamaki asked, catching her off guard.
"Are you close to that man who was just here?" Haruhi asked, holding the box of tea sets in her hands.
"Huh!?" Kanako asked, her body shaking. "N-n-not really, no, I'm not! M-my word, what are you talking about, Haruhi-kun? N-now, if you'll excuse me…Take care."
Her cheeks were flushed as she covered her mouth with a napkin, quickly heading out of the room as the door slammed shut.
"Haru-chan!" Honey-senpai exclaimed as he jumped onto Haruhi's back, wrapping his legs around her waist and his arms around her neck. She yelped from the heart attack she almost received. "You know what? Suzushima-kun is Kasuga-chan's fiancé."
"Kyoya, how long have you known?" Tamaki asked, folding his arms.
"About him being her fiancé? I do, of course, conduct general research on our customers. The two are childhood friends. Their engagement appears to have been arranged by their parents. It didn't particularly seem to be information that we could use, so I just left it alone."
"Why, you…"
"Just who is this guy anyway? I still don't even know his name," Rin muttered, cutting Tamaki off. Kyoya opened up his black book and went through the pages until he found what he was looking for.
"Suzushima Toru: Outstanding grades, fair social status, ordinary looks, with reliability as a strong point. If I had to fault him for anything…"
"Not much presence," Hikaru said.
"He's faint-hearted," Kaoru continued.
"In other words, he's plain. That's it," Kyoya finished, closing the book with a loud snap.
"Toru-kun is a good boy. Right?" Honey-senpai asked, sitting on Mori-senpai's shoulders as he peeked over the top of his head.
"Yeah."
"All right, then…" Tamaki started. "Let's examine our strategy."
"Which one?" the other members asked in unison.
"Ouran Host Club exists in order to bring happiness to the girls!"
One week later
"My little lambs, who have gathered here tonight, Ouran Host Club bids you a fond welcome…" Tamaki said, the spotlight shining down on him as he bowed. "…To this dance party."
One by one, the chandeliers in the room lit up, the orchestra playing in the background as the seven hosts stood on the staircase, all wearing suits. The girls in the audience applauded as they watched the seven boys bow, each girl wearing elegant dresses with shining jewellery and fancy hairstyles.
"We invite you to enjoy yourselves to your heart's content as you dance with the Host Club members," Kyoya announced as the room fell quiet. "In addition, the guest who is recognised as the best dancer, and is chosen as tonight's queen will receive an impassioned kiss on the cheek from the king."
"Good luck to you, baby," Tamaki said as he winked. The girls squealed, some of them even fainting and turning into a blushing mess.
"Haruhi, your enthusiasm is low," the twins said in unison as they stood behind her. Her mouth twitched at the sight of all the girls in the crowd.
"I'm not used to this sort of thing. The only dance party I've ever been to is the bon-odori festival at the neighbourhood park."
Bon-odori = traditional summer festival to honour ancestors who have died
"You probably can't call that a dance party," Kyoya said. "Well, you're here anyway so why don't you at least try the cuisine? There's a real spread."
"L-like with fancy tuna?" Haruhi asked.
Kyoya's pen broke as all of the hosts gasped in unison.
"Fan-" Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai exclaimed.
"-Cy-" Hikaru and Kaoru yelled.
"Tuna?!" Tamaki cried. He flipped over the side of the railing and landed down right in front of the Hosts, the twins having pulled Haruhi in for a sympathy hug. "Get some fancy tuna here, stat!"
"You poor thing…Oh, you poor thing…" the twins said.
"Add some deluxe sushi," Kyoya said into the phone.
Haruhi's face was pure red as her mouth twitched in both embarrassment and anger. Damn these rich people…
…
Rin sighed as she leaned against one of the pillars, watching the scene unfold in front of her. She drew quite a lot of attention from some of the girls in the room. Many asked where she got her dress from, and she replied from the Hitachiin fashion line, since they pretty much make most of the costumes that the Host Club wears.
She had on a long orange-pink dress, the top half strapless and covered in light pink sequins, the bottom half puffed out and touched the floor. She also had on a pair of white high heels with a long rose gold necklace, her hair out and hanging over her right shoulder.
She watched the seven males walking down the stairs, all the girls waiting for who would be the first they'd dance with. Every girl in the room would have a chance to dance with at least one host member throughout the night, but whoever the hosts picked as their first dance meant that that person was more special to them.
She noticed a hand stuck out in front of her, making her shake her head once she knew who it was.
"You said you'd save the first dance for me," Tamaki said with a dashing smile. "I hope you haven't forgotten your promise."
"That would be very rude of me, wouldn't it?" she asked as she took his hand as he led them to the middle of the dancefloor where everyone was watching. Many of the girls, while disappointed, understood why the two were dancing together, as the news of them being childhood friends had spread fast.
"Are you having fun?" he asked.
"What's the definition of fun again? It depends."
"Are you saying you're not enjoying the Host Club, Rin-chan!?" he asked, stopping as he started freaking out.
She laughed as she grabbed hold of his shoulders, trying to calm him down. "I didn't say that. I just don't find dancing as much fun as other things."
Tamaki coughed, straightening out his suit. "Oh, at least it's not…that bad."
"You haven't changed Tamaki," she said with a smile.
"You haven't either," he responded as he twirled her around.
…
"Rin-chan! You look so cute in that dress!" Honey-senpai exclaimed.
"Oh, thank you," she said as she spun around, twirling her dress. "How much do you like sweets by the way?"
His face lit up, almost as if no one had asked him that question before. "I love any flavour of cake, and I love when they have little strawberries on top! Ooh, and I love candy and chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lime, anything!"
"Would you like to have some cake with me sometime? I'm a big sweets fan myself." She gave a smile once she noticed him jumping for joy.
"Of course Rin-chan!"
…
"Mori-senpai, it's nice to see you," she said as he nodded, taking her hand as they started to dance. She followed his eye sight and noticed he was looking over at Honey-senpai dancing with one of the guests.
"Are you two related or are you guys just really close friends?"
"Cousins," he replied with a slight grunt.
"Cousins, but you guys…" She trailed off, knowing that there were no similarities between the two, but then again cousins didn't have to have similarities as they weren't immediate family. "That's very sweet of you to look after him the way you do."
He nodded. "Thanks."
…
"Haruhi, how are you doing?" Rin asked with a laugh as she noticed how tired Haruhi seemed to be from all the dancing.
"Alright, I guess. It could be worse." She glared over at Tamaki's direction, silently thanking the gods that she wouldn't have to dance with him.
"He's not that bad." Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "He's just dramatic."
Haruhi shook her head. "Whatever, can we dance already?"
Rin smiled. "Of course, you're such a demanding man Haruhi."
"Oh shush." There was a slight smile on Haruhi's face as he took Rin's hand as the two started to dance.
…
"Rin, we need to talk," Kaoru said as he walked over to her, standing beside her as they stood and watched the other members dance. "Some words of advice."
"Words of advice?" she asked. "Advice on what?"
Kaoru looked over at his brother, who was obviously trying not to look bored of dancing in front of the girls. But he could tell. He could always tell. "My brother, he doesn't take lightly to new people entering his circle. It used to be just us two. Us and then everyone else…Be careful with my brother. Promise me you won't hurt him."
She noticed his saddened smile as the two glanced over at Hikaru. "I promise. But why are you asking me this?"
"I guess a brother knows more than he should."
…
"Kyoya's snapped three pens this week," Hikaru said with a smirk as he took her hand as they danced.
"And were you one of those reasons?" she asked and he shrugged.
"…Rin, you know you don't have to be around him if you don't want, right?"
"Yeah, but I was raised to be the bigger person."
The two looked over at Kyoya, noticing him staring at the two of them dancing without any emotion on his face. Hikaru's grip on her hands tightened and she interlocked their hands. She didn't know if it was too soon after her break-up to be doing stuff like this and she was probably moving way too fast, but then again she could always pretend that relationship never happened. It had only lasted for a six months anyway, she was surprised it had even lasted that long.
She noticed his glance return back to her as his eyes went down to their hands. He didn't know if he had gripped tighter because he was angry or whether he just wanted to get closer, but he didn't seem too bothered with finding out. He didn't know why his heart was racing so much with just looking at her or what it meant, but he wasn't afraid of the new feeling.
"If he does anything, tell me, so I punch him in his smug looking face," he whispered, which made her smile.
"That's sweet, just hold off the violence, alright?" she asked as she looked over at Kyoya who was staring at them again, this time with a glare on his face which almost made Hikaru smirk.
Over the past four months, there had been a silent rivalry between the two boys, but she knew there was no contest between the two as she knew that Kyoya would never act on anything like this, regardless of whether he wanted to or not. And also, she would never let him win.
She gave him a small smile as she leaned closer to him, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek, the blood rushing to his cheeks at her sudden action. He turned back to her, his eyes wide as he tried to speak, but the words got caught in his throat. "It's a thank you," she whispered.
"S-so it's not to get a reaction from Kyoya?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Well, that's a bonus. But I think I like you too much for my own good. Just, take that as a thank you, for being someone who cares." She gave him a nod as she squeezed his hand before her smile faded as she glanced over at Kyoya, knowing she would have to talk to him.
As she slowly let go of his hand as she walked away, he knew how much he hated having lost that warmth from her. He wished she could walk to him and be beside him, but he knew he shouldn't do that until she was fully ready. And he really didn't want it to be her brain making her think she needed another relationship even if she didn't feel anything like he did.
…
"Do we need to talk?" Rin asked as she walked towards him as he stood next to a pillar, watching the other hosts dance with the girls in the room.
"About what, Hayashi-san?" he asked, keeping his eyes away from hers as he looked at the dancing groups.
"This bitterness you seem to have towards me. The attitude you have."
"I treat everyone equally."
"Nice try, but I've seen the way you stare at me, the glares, writing things down in your little book. I know you've got some kind of problem with me and I want to know what it is, especially as I didn't do anything wrong."
He sighed as he adjusted his glasses. "Do we have to spend our time talking about such trivial things about the past?"
"If you haven't noticed, they are important things that affect our lives. The past doesn't need to be forgotten…It seems you're having a much harder time dealing with this than me."
"Or are you just hiding your feelings by flirting with every guy you meet?"
"Oh, are we going to use petty insults now? I thought you were above that. It's my job and if I remember correctly, it's yours as well."
"But, I keep it inside the Host Club, unlike some people."
"Are you just jealous that I've moved on from that relationship and you haven't?"
"Didn't you say you'd sworn off boys, or did you just say that to make your brother happy?"
"Don't bring my brother into this, there's no reason for him to be involved. This is strictly between us."
"If I remember correctly, you said you would never come here as I lived here. So, what changed your mind? Couldn't stand to be around your family anymore?"
"This is exactly what I am talking about? The rude insults and these petty arguments. Can't we just let all of this go and move on? Just let go!"
Some of the guests turned around, noticing the argument that broke out among the classical music. She quickly noticed that most of the people surrounding them were staring, and saw that Kyoya looked quite unfazed, like nothing had happened. She didn't know she bothered wasting her time with him as she noticed the hosts staring to stare too. She walked out of the room, knowing that what she needed was some time to herself, away from the crowds.
The guests all whispered in concern and confusion, but all Hikaru could feel was anger as his hand curled into a fist, his knuckles turning white.
…
She slowly walked down the darkened hallways of the school, looking at all the empty classrooms that she passed. There was a sign that hung above one of the doors that caught her eye, almost lit up like it was an indication to go inside.
Class 3-C.
She walked inside of the empty classroom, the moonlight shining through the window as it illuminating one of the desks in the middle of the room. She walked towards it as she ran her hand over the wooden surface. She felt small tears prick her eyes as she wiped them with her other hand, not wanting to show how weak she felt.
He had always admired how strong she could be in these kind of situations, and she didn't want to let him down even though he wasn't there to see her. She sat herself down on the desk as she smiled to herself, trying to hold in the tears that desperately wanted to fall as she remembered him.
…
Tamaki quietly walked over to Kyoya, not wanting to cause even greater scene, whispered into his ear. Kyoya gave a sigh and nodded as he walked off and out onto the balcony, away from everyone else.
None of the guests knew how to react, considering none of them had any idea what had happened. As they had only seen the end, they had no idea whose side they should be on.
"Everyone, please, return to dancing. Everything is alright and will be sorted accordingly," Tamaki said, using his charming smile to make half of the guests completely forget about what happened as their brains turned to mush.
He walked back over to the hosts, his hand in his coat pockets as a serious look took over his face. "Someone needs to go talk to her."
"I'll go," Haruhi volunteered.
"No, we have a plan to execute, and we need you to distract," he said, trying to think hard of a solution. "We'll need to make some changes to that plan too…" He looked up as he glanced at all of the hosts, his eyes falling on one in particular. "Hikaru, you go fetch her. We'll need her for the plan tonight."
"Why is Hika-chan going?" Honey-senpai asked, tilting his head as he held onto Usa-chan.
"You know her better," Haruhi stated. "Shouldn't you go to her?"
"Haven't you all noticed that she talks to him a lot more than me?" Tamaki asked. "It's not hard to notice how close those two are. Now, please, hurry up and talk to her. Make sure she's okay."
Tamaki had so much sincerity in his voice, it was almost as if he was treating her like she was his daughter. Hikaru looked over at the rest of the hosts, hiding his excitement to see her again. Was it bad that he really wanted to see her even if she was a crying mess? All of the hosts nodded, knowing that once Tamaki had his mind set on something, there was nothing that would be able to change it.
Hikaru took a glance at his brother, giving him a nod as he pulled him in for a hug. "I'll see you soon, Kaoru," he whispered.
"I'll miss you so much, Hikaru," Kaoru whispered, making the girls squeal at the brotherly love act.
"You'll only be gone for a few minutes," Haruhi muttered as she rolled her eyes.
…
She sighed as she glanced up at the moon through the window, wondering where he was. What he was doing right at that moment? Was he looking at the moon too, or was he looking at the sun? Guess she wouldn't know, but she wished she knew how much she would miss him when he left.
"Rin?" a voice called from the dark hallways, footsteps coming into the room as they stepped inside, staring at her. "Tamaki told me to come get you," he said as he walked up to her. She sighed with relief as she knew it was him and not someone else. He was quiet for a moment as he stood in front of her, thinking of what he should say.
"What happened out there?"
"Nothing," she said as she ran a hand through her hair. "I've already made enough of a scene out there, I don't need to make another one."
"It won't be as big as the one I'm going to make if you don't tell me what happened out there…Rin, just tell me."
"He was just pushing my buttons…I guessed it worked, huh? Hurt them before you get hurt. It's his famous strategy." She couldn't look him in the eyes as she played with her hands, making his mind race with anger. He placed his hands down on the desk she sat on, preventing her from escaping. She could tell the anger he held in his eyes, and she knew this was his way of stopping himself from rushing out there and beating up Kyoya. His face was only a few centimetres from hers.
"Rin, look at me," he said. She hesitated before she took a chance, her brown eyes meeting with his hazel eyes, filled with anger. But once their eyes met, the anger vanished and was replaced with sadness. "A-are you going to be okay?" he asked, the words he was originally going to ask vanishing.
She nodded as she took a deep breath. "I always am," she whispered as she titled her head down, leaning it on his shoulder as she closed her eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm thanking you again, for caring about me." The smile that graced her face made his heart race, but he didn't mind it this time as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, her head now crooked in his neck as his grip tightened. This was nothing like she had experienced before. The warmth, the love, anything like this was all new to her. And she didn't mind it.
…
She fixed up her hair and her dress before she took a step inside the room. The plan had been originally for Haruhi to be the mystery girl, but because of the incident involving Rin and Kyoya, Tamaki, though he was upset about not being able to see Haruhi in a dress, knew it was best to keep them apart for the rest of the night. So, Rin had become the mystery girl while Haruhi entertained the guests.
She saw Toru standing there, staring out the window. As the door opened, he turned around, an eyebrow raised. "You wrote this letter?" he asked. "You're a lot different from what I imagined."
"Letter?" she asked as she took a step closer. He handed her the bright pink sheet of paper, and she instantly knew it was going to be bad.
"I'm in love-love!
From the first time I ever saw you, my heart fell in super love-love! Tee-hee!
It's like, I'm in a never-ending tropical cyclone, not unlike a typhoon, where love is whipping around in my heart, and I want to rendezvous with you on Noah's Ark.
I do, I do!"
Oh this is what Kyoya and the twins were writing down. I guess none of them really have a keen eye for creative writing or poetry.
"Huh? Have we met somewhere?" Toru asked.
"Oh, not officially. I've seen you around school before."
"I'm sorry. I appreciate what you've said, but I cannot respond to your letter. I already have another girl who is dear to me."
"Oh, Suzushima-san, I wasn't aware you had a…"
"Unfortunately, she isn't my girlfriend. Or should I say, she's through with me. She'd be better suited having a more dazzling, self-confident man."
He stared out the window, watching the cherry blossom petals falling from the trees and flying through the wind, colouring the sky in patches of a light pink.
…
"Just where exactly is it that you're taking me?" Kanako asked, her heels clicking against the floor as the silence filled the hallway.
"You…You probably aren't the sort of person who is cut out for manipulating others," Tamaki said as he held her hand, stopping their walk in front of a large window.
"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."
"Look at these, Kanako," Toru's childish voice sounded as he peeked through the glass window containing numerous amounts of tea cups.
"How pretty!" a young Kanako awed at the sight, a huge smile on her face as she stared at all the tea cups on the shelf.
"A Wedgwood…a Foley…a Worcester…Over here is a Ginori, and a Meissen. Kanako, you're going to be my wife, so I'll tell you about all of them, okay?"
"Mm-hmm!" she replied with a nod, her cheeks turning red as they now stared at each other through the glass.
"It doesn't matter," Kanako said, choking on a sob that she was trying to hold back. "No matter what I do, he doesn't notice me in the least. He even decided to study abroad without me knowing it."
…
"That's why I'd like to change, as well. Looking at the world, I want to become an even greater man. I know it's selfish of me, but what if you were to wait for me?"
Rin stared at Toru, wondering what she should say.
"In a way it is, but it's also not. In a way, you're saying that she should stop her life and wait for you, but if she's truly in love with you than she won't mind waiting. Love has no boundaries, but if you never tell her what you're feeling, she'll never wait."
And then, the door opened and there stood Kanako, shook emitted on her face as she stared at Rin and Toru.
"Kanako…"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I seem to be interrupting something. I'll just…" Tears poured from her cheeks as she took off into a run, sobbing as she tried to escape from the sight she thought she saw.
"Kanako!" Toru shouted as he ran out of the room, running down the hallway after her to hopefully set things straight.
Rin slowly walked outside the room, noticing Tamaki standing beside her with a smile on his face, his hands in his pockets.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" she asked, watching as the two disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.
"Of course. It works in all your books, doesn't it?" he asked.
"But those are fictional, they're not…"
"He did go running after her."
…
The two ran outside, underneath the shining moonlight from the night sky. Toru grabbed hold of her wrist, turning her around as she stopped running. Tears flew down her cheeks as her eyes widened, her tears landing down beside the fallen cherry blossom petals.
A spotlight shined down on them, three more appearing one by one as the light blinded the two. The doors on the balcony slowly opened, the girls piling out to see what the commotion was all about.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, this enjoyable evening of ours has at last come to its final song," Tamaki said as he walked out and stood at the railing. "The Host Club's last waltz falls upon this couple."
The two below stood in shock, not knowing what they should do. Toru stiffened when he felt a small, delicate hand touch his shoulder. Thinking that it was Kanako, he turned around, but it wasn't her hand.
"Dance with her," Rin said with a smile. "Show each other how you really feel." The two were clearly confused, not sure what was going on. "I'm here to help you," she continued. "And all two needed was a little push, and who better to do that than the Host Club."
His jaw dropped once he realised who she was, his cheeks turning red from the things he had told her about Kanako. She sent Kanako a smile, who then gave her a nod in gratitude. Rin walked past them, heading up the stairs to join the Host Club members on the balcony.
Toru turned to Kanako, taking a deep breath before he held his hand out. "Princess Kasugai," he said as he bowed his head. "May I have this dance?"
Kanako gasped, not expecting him to make a move. She was silent for a second before a small smile appeared on her face. "Yes," she whispered as she held his hand.
Tamaki made a hand cue and the orchestra started to play, the two dancing underneath the four spotlights and the cherry blossom petals. The Host members all watched with smiles on their faces as they watched the two just being happy staring at each other.
"I love you," Toru said. "I've always loved you. I'm proposing to you once again."
Kanako gasped in joy, happy tears going down her cheeks as a giant smile filled her face. She felt giddy, like she was swinging around in a teacup.
"Tonight, my hopping around to different hosts is over."
Back on the balcony, Tamaki was filled with joy. "May this awkward couple be blessed!" He stretched his arms out, almost hitting Haruhi in the face.
"Tonight's dance queen…" Hikaru started.
"…Is hereby declared to be Princess Kasugazaki Kanako," Kaoru continued. For some reason, the two of them were holding banana peels in their hands.
The guests all applauded as Kanako tried to hide how ecstatic she was.
"Now then, the blessed kiss from the king…"
"I'm on," Tamaki said.
"…Has been switched to Fujioka Haruhi!" Kaoru finished, making both Tamaki and Haruhi gasp in shock.
"Hey!"
"After all, Kyoya-senpai had that having an 'accident' happen right at the end would be more thrilling," they said in unison.
"It's just on the cheek, right? Go ahead and accept it, to commemorate your graduation from host-hopping," Toru said as he held onto Kanako's shoulder, giving her a small smile.
"Of all the things to put me through…" Haruhi groaned.
"We'll cut your debt by one-third," Kyoya said, making Haruhi reconsider.
"Well, as long as it's just a peck on the cheek…" She started walking down the steps, Kanako taking slow steps over to the end of the staircase.
"Say, by any chance, could this be Haru-chan's first kiss?" Honey-senpai asked.
"Why does that matter? It's on the cheek," Rin said.
"What!?" Tamaki screamed.
Haruhi placed her hands on Kanako's cheeks, turning her head slowly as she leaned forward to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Hold that kiss!" he screamed as he ran down the stairs, leaping down as he extended his arm. But, he ended up slipping on a banana peel and ended up pushing Haruhi, resulting in her accidentally turning Kanako's head and kissing her lips. Tamaki gasped in horror as he realised what he'd done.
The two quickly separated as the girls in the crowd screamed, the two covering their mouths in shock. Rin started laughing as the hosts watched with mischievous smiles. She was mostly laughing at Tamaki who was face planted on the ground, the shock taking over his body as he couldn't move.
"He's such an idiot," Rin said with a laugh, an arm around her shoulder which made her smile even more.
"But he's our boss," Hikaru said and she nodded, watching as Tamaki crawled on the ground in desperation. She leaned her head against his shoulder as his arm tightened around her shoulder.
"I really do appreciate what you did for me Hikaru," she said.
"Are you alright now?" he asked as he looked down at her and she nodded.
"Yeah, I'll be alright. I always am."
Haruhi: If word gets out that I'm a girl, I couldn't very well stay in the Host Club.
Tamaki: Don't you worry Haruhi. Whatever happens, I'll protect your secret!
Haruhi: Next time, "Beware the Physical Exam".
Tamaki: Ouran Highschool Host Club will be waiting for you.