Previously…
We strode briskly down the empty halls arm in arm toward the Host Club, knowing that we were late and not particularly caring. I glanced up at my Sempai curiously trying to decipher the look on his face. 'He seems fairly content, as if he has no care in the world. Mind you I don't suppose he has, rich bastard.'


Haruhi was thankful today seemed to be a normal (well as normal as it could be) day at the host club- no cosplay, acting or extravagant decorations. The day had been tiring enough, both mentally and emotionally. She'd spent a great deal of time studying after class and then Kyouya had succeeded in flustering her to extremes.
All her attempts at avoiding him came to nothing in the end, as she realized she hadn't asked him when and where the ball was to be held.
When she voiced her queries to Kyouya his glasses flashed, which she registered as a sign to be uneasy, and he smiled that spooky smile of his and said

"Now really Haruhi, what sort of person do you think I am?"

'An evil, scheming shadow king.' Haruhi countered in her mind. Once again though, she had the distinct impression that her sempai could read minds for the second this passed through her brain he smiled even more widely.
Soon though, his face softened ever so slightly, and he answered her original question. "I'll come by your apartment at 7pm exactly this Saturday. It won't do to have you wondering around in the dark by yourself."

Haruhi scowled slightly, but appreciated his courtesy all the same. They spoke no more after that and both returned to their daily club duties. Kyouya continued jotting things down in his mysterious notebook, while the female member of the Host Club entertained her clients as best she could.
However, she was actually dwelling on something else entirely. It had also occurred to her that she had no idea what to wear to the celebratory ball. She wasn't by any means the type of person to care about fashion, or what other people think of her however, she did prefer to ensure that people were unaware about her social standing. Meaning she would, 'dress up' so to speak to conceal that she was a commoner. There was only one thing for it; she resigned herself to asking the fashion advice of her father.

-x-

Haruhi returned from school with mixed emotions. She knew she should be grateful to Kyouya for asking her to something so high-class, that she should be flattered he had thought her refined enough to attend and relieved that he hadn't mentioned it to the rest of the Club- obviously saving her a lot of Tamaki induced hassle. Even so, she couldn't help but think of the negatives; she'd have to buy and wear a dress- she knew her father would try and spend a great deal on her clothing- money they couldn't afford to be wasting. She sighed, her life was never uncomplicated. Nevertheless, it would be unfair to Kyouya if she didn't go with him, so she called her father and braced herself for the inevitable.
"Oh my Haruhi, but you don't have anything to wear, right tomorrow we're going straight into town- there's a lovely little dress shop next to that café we sometimes stop into." Ranka continued in this vein until Haruhi raised a hand to get his attention.
"I respect your opinion Otousan but I'd really like to consider where I'm going. I don't want a silly, pretty dress. It needs to have certain qualities." Ranka's face relaxed and he smiled encouragingly. He could read his daughter like a book in cases like this; he perceived how much she wanted to be valued.
"Don't be worried, it'll be fine. Let me think, you'll be going to a party in a grand home so the dress has to look rich, they'll also be very professional so maybe something respectable and modest. Knee-length then and not low cut. Yes, I think this will be quite simple."
He sounded self-assured, knowledgeable and intellectual throughout his speech. Haruhi made no attempt to hide her astonishment, she definitely didn't think simple was the word to describe the situation. Either way, this announcement calmed her noticeably. She went to bed, falling into a deep sleep the moment her head hit the pillow.


Meanwhile, Kyouya Ootori was busy planning the events of the upcoming Saturday. He had already arranged the limo that was to collect Haruhi from her home- with him inside it of course- and his suit was to be delivered at 10am Friday morning, he made sure the servants were aware so they knew to answer the door. So far, he was satisfied and he allowed himself to contemplate things for awhile. He imagined how the night would go, adding a bit of extra affection on his date's part. Yes, he was certainly content. This was vaguely surprising, even to him, being as he'd just been told he had lost his father's company to his oldest brother.

"As I'm sure you comprehend, my making the right decision was vital and my choice of heir had to improve the company's prospects significantly. I feel that you, Yuuichi, will accomplish this." Had been Yoshio's words.
At first Kyouya was furious and incredibly bitter, now though it had only increased his determination to make Haruhi Fujioka his. As the old saying goes, when one door closes another one opens.


"Haruhi, over here!"
Her worse fears had been confirmed. Ranka had certainly outdone himself this time. Hangers ran up to the crook of his feminine arm, from each one hanging a thrilly, over-the-top dress. Of what she could see, she hated every single one. They opposed everything she was trying to achieve; they were girly, demeaning and would make her appear like all the guests of the Host Club.
By now, Haruhi was used to her father's antics and would normally expect this from him- however she had thought from their conversation the night before that this time he'd try and respect her desires.
Irritation coursed through her, all the annoyance her friends had caused her was nothing compared to this. Why she was feeling this way was lost to her. She wasn't to know that her heart had been touched by the intentions of the glasses-clad, reserved member of the Host Club.
When Ranka saw his daughter stalking over he immediately started babbling, but then he felt the incensed aura radiating from her, he hunched up and rocked on the floor in response.
"I'm sorry Haruhi!" he wailed "I didn't mean to upset you, I'm just so excited, and I never get to dress you anymore!" She decided to not point out that just the other day she'd consented to wearing the girly outfit he'd left out for her and merely sighed then held out her hand to lift Ranka off the carpeted floor.

"It doesn't matter, let me have a look at them then." She reluctantly requested. He avidly talked her through each dress, good points and bad until they got to the third to last item.
"Wait, can I try that one on please?" Haruhi asked, poorly concealing her excitement.
The dress was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. It was the one of the lightest shades of pink she knew of, with bouncy, slightly crinkled layers at the bottom. Once on, she approved the neckline too, it dipped in a V-neck without showing any cleavage and successfully hid that she was only an A cup. The sleeves covered her shoulders and gave the modest aspect she'd been looking out for. There was no problem with it, it complimented her skin tone, figure and short, brown locks. In fact she'd just changed and was almost at the end of the cue with Ranka when it came to her. With a strong feeling of dread, she reached inside the dress for the tag and took a sharp breath when she saw the number on it. ¥20000.
"Otousan, we can't afford it."
"Don't be silly, yes we can. If I work extra hours next week it'll be paid for. You're not going without, I won't allow it."
Haruhi gave into the urge to clasp her father close in thanks. It had been a long time since she'd hugged him this tightly willingly. Ryouji decided this was worth the ¥20000 a hundred times over.

They left the clothing store and rushed home, hoping there would be at least one pair of shoes that went with the dress.
Haruhi slipped on her white flats but found she didn't look sophisticated enough and so continued rooting through her shoe draw. Eventually she found a pair suitable. She recognized them as the ones she had worn the year before for her father's friend's wedding. They too were white, other than that though completely different to her flats. Fake crystal, silver flowers decorated the front, they were also opened toed and backed with a single strap to keep the foot in place. The heel was not so high to make her seem promiscuous, yet not low enough to make her seem younger than her age. After slipping the shoes on, along with a necklace her mother had given her when she was a child she looked into the mirror and deemed herself satisfied.
She undressed, hung up her new dress and got into her night clothes. Lying in bed, she let herself think about tomorrow night and for the first time realized how excited she was. Though this confused her, she decided that-for the moment- sleep was more appealing than answers.


A.N: *Author ducks as food is thrown at her*
Ahem, I know it's been a long wait for this chapter. I'm aware also that it doesn't live up to the expectations, but there are reasons.
The first being I'm severely out of practice and am afraid I can't write anything more exciting than this.
Second, I felt it important that we see the gradual changes in Haruhi due to Kyouya's 'plan'.
And lastly, because this is the first thing I've wrote of TPOS since the last chapter. Shameful, I know. Basically, I spent last night at my dad's house on his laptop writing. (At my mum's, the atmosphere is wrong. She doesn't approve of me writing fan-fiction and I don't feel that at home in the house.) I logged into this account and saw the reviews for this story and I couldn't contain myself and ended up writing this chapter. Without your encouragement I never would have got this chapter out here. So, thank you! I now have a vague idea of where the story is going- key events, notes etc. All being well, the next installment should be published soon. Believe me though; I will need your nagging, fan-girly squeals and prompts! If you have the time and care, scribble me a message/review and I promise that chapter 3 will exist.

Lots of love, Heloise xx

Sources

These are the dress and shoes I described. I honestly think the dress would look great on her, but- like Haruhi- I have no talent for fashion. Remove the spaces and copy and paste into your search bar.

www. style-iz index . /cocktail-party-dresses/elegant-pink-layered-dress .html

weddingshoesbox 2012/04/27/ white-wedding-shoes-low-heel-are-the-shoes-that-youd-like-to-wear-daily/

The shoes I'm on about are the 5th pair down.

Sorry if the links don't work, do let me know.