Disclaimer: If I owned OHSHC, do you think I'd be here now?
A/N: Hey, it's me again! Alright, so I edited the first chapter a bit at the end to coincide with the current plot I've thought up. Also, I changed the way I entered in the characters' names; before, I entered them in the way it's traditionally done in Japanese (surname before real name) but now I have entered them in the way that it's typically done in the U.S., as well as several other countries. The same is true for my other two stories: BLDaSPW and LB.
Speaking of which, I've hit a bit of a dry spell for both of those stories; I mean, I've been working on the upcoming chapters for the both of them for a while now, but for some reason, I haven't been able to complete them - I keep on writing them, and then re-writing them, and... yeah. Guess I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Well, rest assured: I will do my best to complete both of them - I've got monumental things planned for all three of my stories.
Until then, I ask that you please be patient with me.
Oh, also; I am open to suggestions for my stories - for example, I have yet to decide who I will pair both Tsubaki and Miku with. I have a poll open for Miku (not that anyone's really voted on it...) but now I think it would be better for me to let the pairings write themselves - though I will carefully consider each and everyone of your suggestions, as they have the utmost value to me.
On with the story! :)
Chapter 3 - The Door We've Opened
As she trekked through the cavernous corridors, Tsubaki felt her palms begin to twitch and perspire in anticipation and in trepidation that seemed minute in comparison to the sensation she'd felt when she boarded the flight to Tokyo. In all honesty, now that she was here, the concept of actually being here didn't seem as bad.
Or maybe that was because it was because of the sense of familiarity she felt while with Haruhi. She really didn't know. She was just grateful that the sensation was beginning to subside - even if it was only in the slightest bit.
They passed several more antique artifacts coming from and recommended by a miscellany of different artists and connoisseurs - ranging from vases, statutes, paintings, etc. Heck, even the pedestals on which they all stood looked expensive - and she knew that they were.
The linoleum tiles were polished and pristine, and without a doubt a hassle to maintain. Overall, everything looked clean, and if she focused enough attention on her olfactory senses, she could detect a soupçon of pine (and something artificial) in the air - no doubt from the disinfectant. Perhaps... Pine Sol?
Her train of thought halted when she saw Haruhi stop to open a set of double doors with solid gold knobs.
Her brow twitched. She, although accustomed to such things, preferred and envied the simplicity of the public schools she had visited before. In her opinion, investing that much money into doorknobs was simply a waste, and a blatant display of gaudy-ness and avarice, though she would never dare say such things aloud - except perhaps in the privacy and preferred simplicity of Haruhi's flat.
Though there was no question about the fact that the bathrooms were better kempt here.
...then again, Ouran had four library rooms, and not a single one was quiet, whereas most public schools had only one and the one they had was immersed in silence.
However, Ouran undoubtedly had the better curriculum, and more money to invest in new books each year in several different languages, and it was more of a challenge. Not to mention the fact that there were several opportunities to create liaisons between several different companies.
...why was she even bothering to conduct on a mental debate on this, when she would have gone to Ouran anyway, since this was Haruhi's school of choice?
She shook her head, and followed Haruhi in through the door, wisely shutting her eyes before the blinding light hit and ignoring what were, judging by the distinct scent, rose petals that were weaving themselves into her hair.
Her lips twitched slightly; if Miku were here, she would have been sneezing up a storm - and not too prettily, either. Unless she took antihistamines, of course.
When her eyes opened, the first thing that commanded her attention was the nearly blinding sight of the six men in the middle of the room.
She had to say: the photos she'd seen didn't do these people justice; they all looked like they had literally walked out of a photoshoot for Vogue. Seriously: there were no signs of facial impurities, blemishes, or assymetry! Not a single one!
What did they do - sell their souls for their looks?
She probably should have been prepared for this the moment she had seen Hikaru. Evidently, morning hours dulled and did more harm than good to her perception of reality. Or maybe that wasn't it, since she hadn't felt sleepy in the slightest. It more than likely had something to do with the lighting of the room. Or perhaps some sort of touch-up makeup...
"Welcome~!"
In the center of the room Tamaki Suoh (aka Rene Tamaki Richard de Grantaine Suoh - which really was a mouthful to say) sat in a Victorian style chair that vaguely resembled a throne; smiling warmly at her - or perhaps that smile was meant for Haruhi. Honestly, she didn't really care. The Hitachiin twins stood over to his left (she could tell that Hikaru was the one on the left because his smile dropped for a second after he saw her), and three other boys - Kyouya Ootori; Takashi Morinozuka; and Mitsukuni Haninozuka- all stood to his right.
"Ah, Haruhi! You've finally made it! And you brought a guest with you! Is she a friend of yours?" Was it just her, or did his eyes literally dilate and sparkle at that last bit?
Hmm. It was probably part of his ploy to make Haruhi embrace her feminine side a bit more - though that plan was a bit hypocritical, not to mention counter-productive, since he was the one who was forcing her to remain a Host in the first place.
...actually, that might have been the work of the 'Shadow King' and his threats to have her literally thrown out of the country should she choose to try and leave.
Either way, Haruhi didn't seem phased in the least bit; she either didn't catch the double-entendre in his words, or she simply didn't care. Knowing Haruhi, it was most likely the latter.
"Yeah... Guys, this is Tsubaki Kojima; my childhood friend. She transferred into my class today. Tsubaki, these are the people I told you about."
She nodded before walking over to Tamaki and sticking out her hand for him to shake. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Instead of shaking her hand, like she'd expected him to, he instead picked up her hand, knuckles facing upward, and kissed it - oblivious to her shock and mirth.
"My name is Tamaki Suoh. It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Princess."
Her left brow rose, but she decided to ignore the 'Princess' comment... for now. "Ah, yes. Thank you, Suoh-san." and with that, she yanked her hand from his grip - watching in confusion as he blinked and pouted in disappointment. She heard two distinct snickers at the back of the room, and shifted her gaze to the general direction of the noise.
The twins had their arms draped across each other's shoulders, and were hiding their mouths behind their hands; not bothering to veil the fact that they found her actions - as well as the centrifugal force that followed - comical.
She tilted her head to the side; even more confused by their reaction - why had the situation been in the least bit comical? Surely Tamaki had been rejected by women before - it wasn't like everyone could fall in love with him.
She heard someone sigh from behind her, and when she turned to around, Haruhi nodded towards the twins and shook her head - silently telling her that she really, really didn't want to know.
Questions bit at the edge of her lips, but she kept her mouth shut. Perhaps it was better if she didn't know - for her sanity's sake, of course.
Her attention was swiftly brought back to Tamaki after he straightened, and said: "Just Tamaki is fine, Princess."
She blinked, and held back a sigh. "As you wish, Tamaki-senpai."
In one of those blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments, his smile faltered slightly - before returning full-force. "Good! Now, which type do you prefer? The Strong, Silent type? The Boy Lolita type? The Cool type? The Little Devils type? The Natural type?" With each title he mentioned, he gestured to person that title accompanied. "Or perhaps... you'd prefer me?" He tilted her chin upwards; a seductive gleam in his eyes - silently urging her to melt and select him.
Instead, she merely cocked a brow and stated matter-of-factly: "Haruhi. I'd like to request Haruhi Fujioka, please."
Since Haruhi had no former arrangements, she ended up having her for the entirety of the afternoon. They ended up conversing animatedly with each other about various subjects - including subjects such as their prospective jobs (she was to become the matriarch of the Kojima Group, and Haruhi's dream was to become a freelanced federal prosecutor - or that is to say; a lawyer, like her Mum), their personal opinions on matters of the law, and even books that they read over the summer. In the end, they ended up talking about having a sleep-over at either's house.
In the midst of this, she couldn't help but notice the fact that both twins were giving her subtle glares that were just barely perceptible to the naked eye. She deduced that it was probably because she and Haruhi obviously had history in their friendship. In other words, they were jealous. Or, at least, that was her best guess; she hadn't been around long enough to personally judge their entire characters, and it was doubtful that she'd ever allow herself to.
"Tsubaki?"
She blinked. Huh. It seems that she had gotten into another one of her 'zombie trances'. "Oh, I'm sorry, Haruhi. Er, what were we talking about?"
Haruhi didn't seem bothered as she repeated: "Is today a good day to invite you over, or would another time be more convenient?"
Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember any important events that occurred that night. She ran a blank.
"No, no; tonight's fine, Haruhi. Spending time with you is my sole priority. Just allow me to pick up some of my clothes at my estate first. Speaking of which, do you want a ride home?"
She shook her head, "Oh, no; no, that's fine, Tsubaki. I can take the transit like I always do."
"Haruhi, we're going to the same place, so why not let me drop you off? That way, you won't have to pay the transit fee."
Haruhi was silent as she considered her words. After a bit, she began to raise her tea cup to her lips as she said: "...Fine. What kind of car do you have now?"
"Mercedes Benz - circa 1940s."
Haruhi choked on her tea; setting her tea cup down as she pounded on her chest and covered her mouth. When she could talk again, she said: "What?!"
Tsubaki frowned. "Don't pound on your chest; it won't help in the slightest bit. Just keep coughing and stay upright."
She nodded, and a few minutes later, she cleared her throat. "What car did you say you had again?"
"A Mercedes Benz."
"You... you're driving me home in a... Mercedes Benz... 1940s edition?"
"That's correct, Haruhi. Is that a problem?"
"No; no, it's not." Haruhi's eye twitched. "How much does that cost in yen?"
Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought it over. "Well, it's approximately $92,350 so that means it would be roughly about... 9,235,000¥."
Haruhi's mandible dropped. "Nine million yen?!"
"Yes, though that's not an exact figure; I did the math using the generic one-hundred-yen-equals-one-dollar theory. So, it's probable that it costs a bit more than that."
Haruhi's mouth opened and closed over and over again; but no words escaped. At that moment, she so closely resembled a fish out of water that it was almost comical.
She smirked; reaching over to close it. "Close your mouth; you'll catch flies."
Haruhi responded by rolling her eyes and complying.
"You really are one of them at heart, aren't you?"
She tilted her head to the side, considering the question for a minute before answering: "Yes; I suppose I am, Haruhi."
Later that day, after the Host Club's activities officially concluded for the day, they left and headed to the front gate to wait for her driver.
They stood in silence for approximately sixteen minutes before she saw the polished black vehicle. Out of the corner of her peripheral vision, she noticed Haruhi's mandible bone clench tightly - as if the second she allowed herself to relax it, it would dislocate and hit the floor.
The car stopped directly in front of them, and her driver - whose name she learned to be Kenichi - stepped out and opened the car door for them. She stepped in first; offering a clipped 'thanks' before moving to the seat to the right. Haruhi followed shortly after. He shut the doors and stepped back in the car - re-starting it only after both of them had their had seatbelts on; if only to make sure he wouldn't have to deal with a lawsuit, should an accident occur. After all, going through all that paperwork would be far too troublesome.
They sat in comfortable silence; in which Tsubaki flipped through the pages of Catching Fire; her eyes darting rapidly across the page. Beside her, Haruhi did something similar - the only difference that she was reading a textbook on law that Tsubaki had borrowed from a casual acquaintance of hers whose major happened to be law.
They were so absorbed in their reading, they probably wouldn't have noticed that the car had pulled up on the driveway, if not for the momentum that occurred when the car stopped.
They un-buckled their seat-belts, slid out of the car, and navigated the corridors. Once they reached her room, she merely pulled out a duffle bag, stuffed some clothes and toiletries in it (along with some books and her laptop) and led Haruhi back to the car; chatting aimlessly about miscellaneous topics.
All through it, they both found themselves smiling widely and just flat-out enjoying each other's company - like they always did when they were together.
Yeah - it was going to be a great school year, alright.
A/N: And it's done~! As stated in previous chapters: feedback is appreciated!
