A/N: Y'all are going to make me cry one of these days, I swear. So many lovely people have followed and favorited this story-it really means a lot, you have no idea! And again, thanks to Kang Mina for being a loyal reviewer of this story! I'll leave a little note for you at the end of the chapter, sweetie! Now this chapter is shorter than the previous one, but it's not a filler. In my opinion.
I hope you enjoy this chapter, everyone!
Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are not mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all.
FOUR
"Good morning, Aiko."
Hazel eyes snapped up to meet the warm brown of Haruhi's gaze. Aiko blinked several times, like a child caught after trying to sneak in one more cookie before bed.
"Ah...good morning, Haruhi," she greeted the boy. He rewarded her with a gracious smile; Aiko felt the ends of her lips twitching upwards in response.
"You seem to be in a better mood today," Haruhi noted as he placed his bag on top of his desk. "Is it because the sky's cleared up today?" He glanced out the large bay windows pointedly. There was not a single dark cloud in the sky that morning, to which Aiko had happily noted when she'd woken up.
She allowed her smile to grow, but only slightly. "I suppose. I feel much better, though. Thank you for asking." Though it was a simple statement that probably didn't mean much on Haruhi's part, Aiko felt her spirits rise just a bit from the gloomy mood she'd been burdened with since yesterday.
Even if Nijimi says that I'm just a toy to the Host Club right now, she thought, smiling to herself, it seems like Haruhi enjoys talking with me as a person outside of his club. Like a friend would do.
Haruhi, noticing the happiness in Aiko's features, assumed that it was only from her being correct about the weather. Either way, she was glad that Aiko was feeling better. The chronically shy girl was too pretty to frowning all the time. She chuckled as she took her seat in front of Aiko, spinning around in the chair so that they could continue their conversation.
"I also wanted to apologize for the way I acted yesterday." At Aiko's puzzled brow, Haruhi continued on. "After you turned down our offer to visit the Host Club again, I'm sure you felt like I was disappointed in you."
Aiko's eyes widened as embarrassment spread across her features; she waved her hands in front of her rapidly. "No, no, of course not! Well, I-I mean yes, but I'm not surprised or blaming you for anything, honestly. It's my fault for being such a let-down to you and Honey-senpai. So, you don't have to apologize."
Haruhi blinked. "What are you talking about? Of course I do. The way I acted was rude; I don't want to put you into a situation you're not comfortable in, Aiko, even if it means that you won't come to the Host Club." He paused for a moment to let those words sink in. "And I wasn't disappointed in you, I was disappointed in myself. The twins caused a scene yesterday and I could tell you were very embarrassed. So, I'm sorry for that."
His apology was so sincere that Aiko couldn't contradict him, even if she'd wanted to. Letting her hands fall on the desk, she chewed again on her bottom lip. "It's okay, Haruhi. I forgive you."
The seriousness in his face dissipated, leaving a pleased smile. Aiko could only marvel again at just how...well pretty this boy was. And not in the way that Tamaki was pretty, with his purple eyes and prince-like blond hair. Haruhi was really, truly, pretty. All Aiko had to do was picture him with longer hair and a dress and Haruhi went from being a boy to a girl.
But there's no way that could happen, she stubbornly argued with herself. Is there?
A sudden thump from a bag being dropped on a desk knocked Aiko back into her senses. She turned her gaze from Haruhi (who'd been talking for who knows how long while Aiko was thinking) and up to where the twins were leaning on their friend's desk, prodding him and asking questions. Just seeing them made the bottom of Aiko's stomach drop.
It seemed like they'd gone back to ignoring her again. She mentally winced. And just after it'd seemed they'd finally be able to start over on the right foot—Aiko just seemed to mess up every friendship before it was even struck.
"Good morning, Aiko!" came a rather chipper voice—Karou if she wasn't mistaken. It had gotten a little easier to tell the two Hitachiin brothers apart, but only variably. She'd noticed that Karou tended to be the calmer of the two, his voice not as deep nor as brash as Hikaru's. But when they spoke together, it was basically impossible for Aiko to tell them apart.
The greeting caused her eyes to widen in shock. She looked over to where one of the twins—Karou, without a doubt—was giving her a cheeky grin, eyes closed and hand up in a wave. While she sat there, stunned, Karou opened one eye and continued, "Did you have a nice sleep last night? You're a lot less gloomy today."
Haruhi sighed. "That's not something you should be saying like a compliment, Karou."
"Why not?" Hikaru spoke up, leaning around his brother to get a better look at Haruhi. "We're only speaking the truth." Turning to Aiko, he offered her a similar greeting to that of his brother, though his grin looked more like an impish smirk. "Right, Aiko?"
Aiko realized her mouth had dropped open, and she quickly closed it back, before realizing that they expected her to answer. "Um—I suppose."
"See?" the twins said in smug tones; Haruhi just made a face.
"You-" All three Hosts turned their heads to look at Aiko, who'd gone a little pink in the face. "You called me...by my name. Aiko."
The twins gave her confused looks. "I thought that's what you preferred?" Hikaru spoke up, one eyebrow arching up in a challenge. "Or would you rather we call you Nakamura-Hime like the boss?"
There was definitely a distinct pink flush across Aiko's cheeks as she glanced down at her hands again. "No, no. Aiko...that's fine."
"Good." The twins once again looked contented. "But since we get to call you by your first name, you have to do the same for us. Okay?"
"O-Okay."
The teacher walked in at that moment, and everyone took their seats, leaving Aiko alone to her thoughts as she hid her pleased smile behind the textbook.
As the bells rang throughout the school to signal the start of the lunch period, Aiko gathered her things together and was preparing to walk out of the science classroom when she heard her name being called. She turned her head to see Haruhi and the twins coming up behind her, the latter to whispering among themselves.
"Yes, Haruhi?" Aiko prompted, adjusting her bag strap on her shoulder.
"We were wondering if you'd be joining us for lunch today?" the boy asked, giving her a friendly smile. "I noticed you never eat in the refectory, though you've always got a bento."
Aiko was, once again, shocked into silence. This was starting to become a normal thing since that just that morning. During second period, she'd been paired with Haruhi to fill out a worksheet in English class, and gotten nothing but patience from the boy when she missed a word or forgot proper grammar. The next period she'd broken the tip of her pencil, and Karou offered her another one almost immediately. And now this.
Why are they all being so kind to me today? She knew they felt sorry for yesterday (well, at least Haruhi did; the twins didn't mention it) and were obviously trying to make it up to her, but it was still strange in Aiko's mind. Normally, when something like this happened at her old boarding school, it ended up being a very cruel prank that left the victim in tears.
That victim was usually Aiko.
She eyed the trio skeptically. They don't seem like the type to do something like that though... Well, the Hikaru and Karou, possibly—but not Haruhi. Still, Aiko's head warned her from being too trusting of those big brown eyes.
"Um, no thank you, Haruhi. I appreciate the invitation, but I'd only be a bore to have around." Aiko gave them an apologetic smile. "I hope you enjoy your lunch, though."
With that, she ducked her head and quickly left the classroom before she could regret her decision.
After Aiko had left the three hosts alone in the classroom, Hikaru let out a heavy sigh. "You'd think she'd have accepted that at least. How are we supposed to get her to like us if she just blows us off every time?" he demanded.
Karou yawned and placed his hands behind his head. "Yeah. The boss's plan isn't working out very well."
"Quiet, you two," Haruhi shushed them. The twins glanced down at their small friend. "Manipulating someone and trying to become friends with them are two different things. First, Aiko-san needs to get comfortable around us. It's going to take a while. That's just how people work."
Hikaru stuffed his hands into his pockets. "All I can say is that she better be worth it. Otherwise Honey-senpai and Boss will have to come up with something else."
The trio started walking down the hallway towards the refectory, each calling up the meeting from yesterday afternoon.
~The Host Club, After Hours~
"How do you suppose we'll get Aiko-chan to come back to the club?" Honey spoke up as things began to wind down within the Host Club. The last customer had just left and already the decorations and cosplay had been stored away, leaving the room back in its original glory. Everyone was spaced out within the room, going about their own ways of getting rid of boredom. Hikaru and Karou were playing their Nintendos on their sofa again, off in their own little world. Kyoya had taken his book to a table with a calculator and Tamaki was once again trying to convince Haruhi to become "the girl Daddy wanted her to be." At Honey's words, they all glanced his way, even Kyoya.
"I mean," the childish third year continued on, petting his bunny Usa-chan. "Even when we tried to get Hika-chan and Kao-chan to tutor her in math, she refused. Do you...do you think she just doesn't like us very much?"
No one really had an answer for the blond Lolita. Not even Mori could think of something encouraging to say to his best friend and cousin.
Honey felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Glancing up revealed it to be Tamaki, smiling sympathetically at his senior. "Don't worry, Honey-senpai," the King Host said softly. "We'll think of a way to get Aiko in here for a second try. I promise."
"Do you really mean that, Tama-chan?" Honey asked, those large eyes of his overflowing with hope. Because tomorrow would be Friday, making it a week since Aiko had attended the Host Club; almost a week since Honey had met the quiet girl. He didn't know much about her, just that she was sweet and cute and looked like she really needed a friend. That's why he'd offered her the invitation to come to the club that very same day. Because she could make friends there.
"Of course!" Tamaki exclaimed, reverting back to his normal, over dramatic self. Raising his hand in the air, he brought it down forcefully on the back of the lounge chair, face set in determination. "Aiko-hime is still a maiden in need of our help, being the new girl! And as a Host Club, it is our job to fulfill the hopes and dreams of all women." As he finished his monologue, a spotlight appeared, shedding angelic light upon him, and making him sparkle. In the background, Mori and Honey watched on, the latter with an expression of awe, as they both applauded their leader.
"That'll be kind of hard considering her biggest wish is that we'll just leave her alone about all this Host Club stuff," Hikaru intoned from his couch position.
Karou nodded his head, speaking in the same apathetic way as his brother. "Either she really doesn't like us, or she just doesn't want to make any friends."
"Or both," they said as one.
Tamaki deflated momentarily at their words before straightening. "No," he said in a firm voice, causing the twins to look up from their game. The look on his face suggested that he'd already set himself a plan. "I refuse to give up. Isn't it the two of you and Haruhi who said that she doesn't speak to anyone in class and isn't present during lunch?"
The red-headed devils looked at each other, then back at Tamaki. "Yeah, so?"
They jumped slightly as Tamaki suddenly pointed a hard finger at them. "Does that sound like someone who doesn't want to make any friends? Because to me it seems like she's just too used to not having any friends in the first place because no one approaches her."
"Not to mention that this is her first time being at a non-boarding school," Kyoya added in, still punching away at his computer.
"Exactly!" Tamaki shut his eyes, obviously thinking very hard. "And being a new student in school is not always what it's cracked up to be. A bigger place with more people than she's ever dealt with, I'm sure. And how do we know Aiko-hime hasn't been subjected to the torment of high school bullies, hmm?" His statement was greeted with blank stares. "Exactly my point."
A certain Lolita boy looked down somberly at the reminder that Aiko might be bullied by the other kids at Ouran. There were some really mean people there after all. A few tense moments of silence passed.
Tamaki slammed his fist into his open palm as his eyes flew open. "That's it!"
"What's it, boss?" the twins asked, now becoming a little more interested.
"I know how we're going to get Aiko to come back to the Host Club!"
Honey's eyes widened. "Really, Tama-chan?" he asked excitedly. "What is it?"
"Before we can get Aiko to come in here as a customer, we must first get her more comfortable around us. Namely the devil twins and my precious daughter, since they are in the same class as Aiko." Tamaki crossed his arms over his chest. "In short, we need Aiko to consider us her friends."
His plan fell upon a silent room.
"Yay, Tama-chan!"
"Really-?"
The twins and Honey spoke at the same time, with obvious differences in opinion about the whole thing.
"Look, boss," Hikaru began, pulling his game back out. "We already told you, she's not interested in becoming our friends, or coming back to the Host Club. It's a wasted effort."
"You say that now because before our approach to get her to come here was blackmail and/or kidnapping. Both of which aren't exactly what make a girl's heart melt," Haruhi noted from where she was folding the last of her costume into a box. "I think Tamaki-senpai's plan actually sounds good for once."
Immediately, the blond idiot was all over Haruhi, glomping her face and cooing. "Really, Haruhi? Does that mean you've finally fallen for me?"
"No—now get off, senpai!"
Honey ignored the two in favor of looking pleadingly at the twins. "C'mon, Hika-chan, Kao-chan. If it means that Aiko-chan will come back to the Host Club, isn't that enough to give it a try?"
Hikaru and Karou looked into those child-like eyes of their senpai, then at each other. After a long silence wherein the two had one of their silent conversations, Hikaru closed his eyes and sighed. "I guess so. We haven't gotten to mess with our new toy very much anyways-"
"-so we're in," Karou finished for his brother, smirking. He threw a thumbs-up towards Honey, who exclaimed gleefully.
"Then it's settled," Kyoya said as he closed his laptop. Everyone—even Tamaki, who was being forcefully pushed away by a frustrated Haruhi—turned to look at the Shadow King. He adjusted the glasses on his nose, a sly smirk appearing on his face. "We'll start the plan tomorrow."
~End of Flashback~
"It seemed like a good idea a the time," Karou mused aloud as the trio walked into the refectory. The chattering of many students at once filled the large hall, along with the sounds of utensils scraping against fine china and glasses clinking as they were set down.
"Making friends doesn't take one day, Karou," Haruhi reminded him. She had brought her own lunch like usual, but stayed with the twins as they ordered theirs. "Aiko-san is very shy, too. Which means we'll have to work very hard to gain her trust."
Hikaru, only half-listening to his friend and his brother talk, allowed his mind to wander back to the club meeting from yesterday, and then to that morning in first period. He recalled how surprised Aiko had been when Karou had greeted her, and then him soon after. She'd blushed when they'd called her "Aiko" instead of "Aiko-san" or "-hime." That last one was usually what Tamaki called all the girls, though.
Though...she'd seemed so pleased by that little difference. Hikaru had caught her smiling down at her textbook out of the corner of his eye; and he knew for a fact it wasn't from the History lesson making her do that. The fact that something so simple could give her just that bit of happiness confused and—dare he say it?—intrigued him.
What a weird girl... he eventually decided, shaking his head and turning back to Karou and Haruhi's conversation. But that small, sweet smile kept replaying in his mind throughout the rest of lunch.
Aiko enjoyed her bento that day (some leftover egg rolls and spiced chicken and rice) and returned to her class feeling the best she had all week. Her mood dropped only slightly when she entered the science classroom and noticed that they would be working with partners that day, and there was only one seat left.
Fortunately for her, it wasn't next to Nijimi—Aiko didn't think she would be able to stand being close to such a predatory girl for a whole class period. But the seat wasn't next to Haruhi, either; he'd already been paired up with some other girl, who looked like she would faint at any moment.
Sliding on the stool at the work table, Aiko discreetly glanced at the person sitting next to her. It was a boy. He had well-kept hair and a pleasant face, but that didn't exactly mean he was a pleasant person. She recognized him from her other classes (if she remembered correctly, his name was Kyou). Whatever the case, he hadn't noticed her yet—his eyes trained intently on the book in front of him, the dark irises quickly skimming over the words before flipping the page and devouring that one as well.
Aiko didn't want to bother him, but she needed to get his attention for the project they were about to do. Just as she was reaching a tentative out towards him to tap his shoulder, the teacher came in. "Alright. Today we'll be doing a very quick project dealing with cells and microscopes. The person you'll be sitting next to is your partner for the day; you are to both fill out a worksheet and turn them in by the end of class. Directions are on the board. Begin."
There was an immediate scraping of chairs as various people made their way to the cabinets to get their microscopes and slides. The boy still had not moved from his position.
Aiko chewed on her lip, debating. Should she get the microscope and slides first, or try to gain the attention of her would-be partner?
In the end, she stalled for so long that she didn't notice the boy had moved until there was a dull thud in front of her. Aiko blinked. The slides and the microscope were placed on the table.
Looking over at the boy, she saw that his gaze focused on her, and she jumped. "O-oh, I'm sorry. I-I should have gone and gott-ten these, please e-excuse me-"
"Write your name," he interrupted her, passing the extra worksheet her way. The bluntness with which he spoke made Aiko unable to respond for a moment. When she didn't write her name, he glanced back at her. "I said, write your name."
"R-right! Sorry," she apologized once again. Picking up her pencil, Aiko wrote her name in the proper blank. Glancing over at his paper, she noted he'd written: Kyou Ijiri.
So his name is Kyou, Aiko mused to herself.
"I'll look at the slides and write down the answers. You can just copy them from there," Kyou spoke up, causing Aiko to blink at him in confusion.
"Um..."
He glanced at her. "It'll go by much faster like this, and require as little interaction as possible."
Ouch. Aiko mentally cringed at the coolness of Kyou's tone. "B-But this is a p-partner project, so I thought-"
"You thought wrong." Wow. This guy was more blunt than Haruhi.
Aiko, sensing that the conversation wasn't going anywhere, nodded meekly. "O-Okay."
With a simple nod, Kyou inserted the first slide into the microscope and began adjusting accordingly. He glanced at it for a few seconds before jotting down something on the first lines. Then he switched out the slide for the next and repeated the process while Aiko watched on silently. The other tables around her were all murmuring with their selected partners; everyone was working as a team except her and Kyou.
I wish he would let me look at one of the slides, at least, she grumbled to herself. He's making it seem like I'm so stupid and clumsy I'll mess up the project if I were to help. He didn't even introduce himself-
"Done."
Shocked out of her thoughts, Aiko looked to see that Kyou's worksheet was, in fact, completed, down to the very last side-notes. Impressive wasn't the right word—this was downright astonishing. "Wow..."
"Here," he said. The worksheet was slid over to her abruptly. "Just copy down everything and we'll be done here." With that said, Kyou grabbed the rest of the slides and the microscope and went to return them to the cabinet.
Aiko looked after the strange boy for a moment before looking back down at the finished worksheet. She let out a weary sigh before dutifully copying down the answers. By the time Kyou had returned, she was just finishing up and handed his paper back with a quiet, "Thank you."
He nodded in her direction once before pulling out that book of his again and immediately getting sucked in, seeming to block all outside distractions. Aiko watched him for a minute or two, trying to understand his comments from earlier and obvious distaste for small talk with other people.
Not like I'm any different, she mused. His way of avoiding people is just so...cold. But he doesn't seem like the shy-type...
"Aiko," Haruhi said as he appeared in front of the girl, startling her. Seeing so, he put a hand to the back of his head and smiled apologetically. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just coming over to see how you were doing with the project."
"H-Haruhi." Aiko put a hand to her chest, taking deep breaths to stop her racing heart. "Ah, no, I'm fine. It's okay." Once her breathing was again under control, she gave the boy a better answer. "I'm done with it actually. The project."
He gazed at her quizzically. "Really? But class isn't even half-way done yet."
Aiko just blinked. What? Glancing around the classroom, she indeed noticed that the other students were still hard at work on their assignments, some quietly discussing and others arguing. Hikaru and Karou were the only ones lounging against their table, looking incredibly bored.
"I-I hadn't noticed," she admitted sheepishly.
Haruhi chuckled. "I'm not saying that's a bad thing, Aiko. Just a little surprising. It's a pretty hard lab. I should be getting back to my partner anyway. See ya'." He gave a small wave before returning to his own table and partner.
Aiko waved back before slumping slightly on her stool. An entire half of a class left—that hardly ever happened to her anymore. She spared Kyou a glance; he was so enthralled with his book she doubted he'd heard a word her and Haruhi had spoken. Must be a very good book.
For the rest of the period Aiko tried tackling a few of the practice worksheets her teacher had passed out in math for the upcoming test. Slowly, the material was becoming easier to grasp, but Aiko was still far behind the other students in terms of understanding the various concepts passed out. At this rate, she'd be kicked out of the class and bumped down to 1-B in the blink of an eye. She really needed someone to help her, if only for a few days. A tutor.
Or tutors, she corrected in her mind, looking back at Hikaru and Karou. Now they were talking quietly between themselves, glancing across the classroom at various points. She was still looking their way when Hikaru's gaze locked with hers (at least, she assumed it was Hikaru. His hair parter to the right, which she'd noted was one of the only visible differences between him and his brother). Aiko quickly turned her head back into her desk, face flaming, but it was too late. She'd been caught.
It was only a few seconds later when she felt someone's shoulder brush against her own, on either side. Aiko internally cringed.
"What do we have here, Karou?" Hikaru intoned from Aiko's right shoulder. She looked at him: he had a devilishly handsome smirk on his face that made her blush another shade of red. But at least she was right about the part in his hair. It was small step towards discerning which twin was which.
Karou poked his head closer to the papers in front of Aiko, his chin brushing past her shoulder. "Hmm. It seems like the practice worksheets from math class, Hikaru. It seems our little toy has been working harder to pay attention in that class seeing as some of these are actually right."
Aiko tried not to be insulted by the way Karou made it sound like a genuine surprise that she got some questions right. "Well, t-that test is c-c-coming up pretty soon a-and I need to try and-d get my g-grade up. So Okanawa-sensei let me take a few more s-sheets." It didn't slip past her notice that Karou used that blasted word again: "toy." Exactly how Nijimi had described her—a shiny new toy in the eyes of a pack of dogs.
"How cute." Hikaru leveled a superior look on Aiko. "Don't tell me you really expect to pass that test with the current level you're at right now."
"But if you were to accept our offer as tutors-" Karou sang from her other side, slipping an arm around Aiko's shoulders. She let out a surprised squeak.
"-there is a possibility it might happen," they finished, matching Cheshire grins lighting up their faces.
"I already t-told you guys, I c-can't go back to the Host Club..." Aiko mumbled, casting her eyes down.
The twins shared a look over Aiko's head that she missed. Hikaru cleared his throat, making Aiko peek up at him through her lashes. "We've decided that in exchange for tutoring you, you don't have to come to the Host Club."
"We can come up with some other method of payment!" Karou continued with an enthusiastic gleam in his eyes.
Aiko looked between them in confusion. "You...don't want me to come to your club anymore?"
They shook their heads. "Nope. You're not obligated to come if we tutor you." They each held up a finger and winked at her. "So, what's it gonna be?"
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. They didn't want her to go to the Host Club anymore? Despite herself, Aiko felt a twinge of disappointment—and maybe a little hurt. Was Nijimi's prediction coming true? Were Honey-senpai and the rest giving up on her as well? She didn't like to think that she was just a new plaything for the club. Aiko actually thought they wanted her to come to the club because they liked her as a person, not a thing to toss to the side once they got bored.
That's what I get for assuming things, she thought to herself bitterly.
"O-Oh." They were waiting for her answer. Aiko opened her mouth to speak—while at the same time, the bells rang to signal the end of the period. Aiko thanked her lucky stars that she had at least another class period to avoid the twins. "Um. I have to go. Excuse me." Quickly stuffing her things into her bag, Aiko bowed her head and scurried out of the classroom.
The twins stared after her in a mixture of disbelief and confusion. Haruhi came up beside them. "So, how'd it go that time?" she asked, already knowing the answer, if Aiko's exit was anything to go by.
Hikaru frowned. "She turned us down. Again." He huffed and put a hand on his hip. "This girl is a lot more stubborn than I expected."
"Yeah." Karou closed his eyes wearily. "Tamaki's plan is going to make me tired. But-" He opened his eyes, and there was some twinkle deep in the amber as he glanced at his brother. "-now I'm a lot more interested in finding out how to get our toy to play nicely."
Hikaru reflected his brother's outward expression, a wicked grin cropping up. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Karou."
"Yeah!" the twins exclaimed, giving each other a high-five over Haruhi's head as she just made an irritated face.
Idiots...
I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! Geez, the weeks are going by so fast, I'm almost out of buffer chapters, haha. I'm going to have to get out of my slump and start writing soon so I don't keep you all waiting! *the final countdown plays in the distance*
And to Kang Mina: Thank you for the lovely comments! And I'm glad Tamaki made you laugh-he'll always be a puppy in my eyes, no matter how princely he may seem c: Please keep sending me your sweet reviews! They make my day!
Until next week, lovely readers! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!
