I updated this story just three weeks ago. Aren't ya'll proud of me to have an update this quick? I'm sure proud of myself.
To clear up any confusion: nobody at Ouran knows that Yuki is a guy, except for Haruhi and the chairman. Kyoya cannot gain access to Yuki's records to actually find anything out about him. And then there is the fact that nobody has anything to suspect about Yuki. In all honesty: he looks like a female!
Thank you everybody for the reviews, the favorites, and the follows! They greatly mean the world to me. If you review, I will start responding to them at the bottom of a chapter, unless I have a question to ask you. AND I'M FEELING AMBITIOUS! I'm hoping to reach 50 reviews by the time I reach the tenth chapter. If you guys love Yuki, you would help us to achieve this goal.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or the characters affiliated with the anime or manga. However, I do own Yuki and OC mentioned, including three in this chapter!
The end of the week has finally arrived. Friday has also been just like any other day in Yuki's school life. Instead of talking directly to him, everybody talks about him. Their loud talk turns into hushed whispers whenever he comes around. It's just like how his old school used to be and probably still is: judgmental.
And it really hasn't even begun yet.
Yuki stands unusually close to Haruhi, his arms stiff at his side, as they walk the stone path up to the entrance of the school. They walk pass a trio of girls, who stop talking and watch as the pair walk by. Once their backs are to the girls, they continue talking and Yuki can hear them muttering his name.
Everybody has been muttering his name throughout the week. Today is just the worst day of them all.
"Haruhi, they're talking about me!" Yuki whispers. His blue eyes shift uncomfortably, glancing at everybody that they walk by. "Is everybody here like that?"
"Pretty much," Haruhi subconsciously replies, not really understanding what Yuki is talking about.
"But I can't have people judging me!" Yuki cries.
"Being judged isn't exactly a bad thing."
"They're just talking about the new girl who is affiliated with the host club. No big deal."
Yuki turns around, glancing at the twins who have their arms wrapped around Haruhi's shoulders. "What do you mean it's not a big deal? It's not good to talk about people behind their backs!
"You should consider it an honor," one of the twins says.
"All of the girl's here would like to be connected with the Host Club on a level different from a customer. The next best thing is to talk about you," the other refutes.
"You're famous, commoner! Everybody at Ouran Academy is interested in you," they compliment in unison.
Or it would be a compliment if Yuki wasn't nervous around them. Trust would be an issue with these two tricksters, Yuki could already tell. And what is the point of calling him a commoner? He isn't ready to let them in, or anyone for that matter, except for Haruhi.
"Is it really necessary to call her a commoner? She lives in the same building as I do," Haruhi says, sighing. "There's nothing really bad our apartment complex." She shrugs her shoulders, getting away from the twins. Yuki scrambles to follow, walking in sync with his friend.
"She does?" the twins both ask. They switch targets from Haruhi to Yuki, wrapping their arms around his shoulders.
Yuki quickly ducks out of the way, avoiding the two. Yuki walks close to Haruhi, his arm occasionally bumping into her back. "Please don't tell me that they know where you live," he asks in a hushed whisper.
"We definitely know," Kaoru says, the sound a slight smirk in his voice.
"Now our new little game will be to find out which apartment you live in," Hikaru deviously plans.
"You wouldn't dare," Yuki cries, turning around to face them. He yelps and jumps, hitting Haruhi's back. He nearly falls to the ground, but both of the twins manage to catch him, each one grabbing a different arm.
"Oh, but we would, Yuki-chan," the twins promise. Their faces are dangerously close to Yuki's. They pull Yuki so he is standing upright and they stare at him, both of them still holding his arms. "So are you going to make things easy for us?"
Yuki's blue eyes widen. They shift uncomfortably, glancing back and forth between the two twins. Yuki shakes his slightly trembling arms out of the twins' grasps. "I have to get going. I still don't know my way that well, and I don't want to be late for class."
Haruhi turns around, a few paces ahead of the three. "Are you sure? You usually seem to-"
"I've got it covered!" Yuki says as he races pass the girl, keeping his eyes down on the ground.
"You avoided our question, Yuki-chan!" the twins yell after him. A couple of students stare at the twins as they continue calling out. "We'll see you later, Yuki-chan!"
"I would rather not," Yuki mutters as he rushes through the front doors.
"I would much rather bother with those devils," Yuki mutters.
Now Yuki can deal with the people talking about him. He's done it for so long, it became a second nature for it to just go in one ear, skip the processing of his brain, and just go out the other ear. It was when somebody would get close to him. For example: the twins grabbing him earlier.
But after thinking it over, Yuki can totally deal with the twins. They seem to listen to Haruhi. And Haruhi was a friend to Yuki, or at least he thought so. She just seems to go through with whatever is thrown her way, which Yuki technically was. There was does not seem to be anything malevolent about the twins.
Of course there wasn't anything malevolent about Riku, or the other student… And that is total bullshit, Yuki. Get your mind out of that. You know that does not pertain to this situation.
But this situation.
This situation. Right now. In class 2-A. Yuki can't deal with it. Anybody else. The girl with glasses in the front of the class. The guy with the unruly brown hair that sits in the back corner. Or hell, the guy that sits two seats behind him. No, not one. Two!
"Something wrong, Fall-chan?" Kyoya drawls. "You seem quite distracted."
Yuki fakes a smile, gritting his teeth together. "Whatever do you mean, Glasses?"
"You look displeased with this situation," Kyoya continues.
"And how would you know what I look like when displeased?" Yuki snaps.
"Excluding the fact that you're always disinterested when around me? I am quite familiar with being displeased. You should know a little bit of my nature by now, Fall-chan."
True. Kyoya always does look bored with whatever is going on. And it's not like Yuki is, as Kyoya puts it, displeased, with what is going on. He more or less just wants to murder the sensei that thought pairing them together for a simple in-class assignment was the best idea.
Or perhaps Yuki is just jumping to conclusions about murder. It's not like the sensei purposely said, "Otori, Fall, you two will be working on this assignment together for the remainder of the class!" No, it was a simple instruction that led to even-numbered rows, Yuki's row, to being partners with the person that sits behind them.
That just happens to be that damned glasses-wearing narcissist!
Yuki grabs his book off of his desk and sets it on Kyoya's."Can we just get started?" he asks. "I doubt you want to work with me."
Kyoya glances at Tamaki. The blonde, bumbling oaf is talking energetically talking to his partner. His partner shows the same enthusiasm as they both continue to not do the assignment. "Very well," Kyoya says, shrugging his shoulders. He opens his book until he finds his page. "So we just need to go through the first twenty questions."
Yuki peers backwards at the board, glancing at the page number. He turns back around and flips through the pages. "This shouldn't be too hard." He looks down at his book and he can instantly feel his eyes darken and his face pale.
What the hell is this? This… this is math? Yuki stares down at the various equations that fill the page, his eyes frantically scanning the entire page. This… this is not math! At least nothing that he has learned before! This is hell. Had he missed a lesson a lesson or something? He doesn't recognize any of this!
He glances up at Kyoya, who is staring down at his paper and writing quickly. His eyes widen when he realizes that Kyoya is already about half done and he has managed to show all of his work.
This work is worst hell than both Kyoya and the host club combined.
"Is there a problem, Fall-chan?" Kyoya asks. He glances up at Yuki who quickly turn away, embarrassed. "Why have you not started yet?"
Yuki rests his arms on his book in a futile attempt to cover his current state of confusion. "Is this due at the end of class?"
"Well, we are being given time to work on it," Kyoya says.
"But does it have to complete before we leave this room?" Yuki asks.
Kyoya leans back in his chair, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I suppose not. But it's always best to get this done as soon as possible. It causes less stress for us later."
Yuki closes his book and smiles nervously at his classmate. "We never had the opportunity to do work during class," he informs. It's not exactly a lie. When there were people to converse with, he would spend the entire class period talking to them. When he was left on his own, he was too skittish to let his guard down and actually do his work. Every form of work just automatically became homework. "I'll do it later. Haruhi and I will probably do our homework together."
Kyoya raises an eyebrow and sighs. "Very well, Fall-chan. Do not distract me then," he says, returning to his work.
Yuki sighs and moves his book back to his desk. He pulls the paper of the various teas out of his bags and glances at the page, quizzing himself of the various teas and foods that the club serves. He almost has everything memorized – the plating, the tea sets for each tea, and the best possible combinations. But almost isn't good enough; he has to memorize this so he can work to the best of his ability to hurry up and pay his debt so his mother doesn't have to fret anymore.
The clock chimes signaling the end of class and the start of lunch. The class quickly breaks into chatters as they pack their stuff away and leave the room, heading towards the cafeteria. Kyoya packs his belongings into his bag, making sure that everything is neat and organized. As he stores things, he glances up from the bag in his lap to the raven-haired girl in front of him.
Fall-chan keeps her head down, her hair falling on either side of her neck. She has been in this position since she turned away from him. What has she been doing for more than half an hour?
"Kyoya, let us go!" Tamaki says, standing at the edge of Kyoya's desk. His violet eyes are glimmering with anticipation. "If we do not make our appearance in the lunch hall, then our fans will surely be sad! We don't want anything like that, now do we?"
Kyoya stands up, pushing his chair out from behind him. He tucks his bag under his arm and uses his free hand to slide his chair back underneath his desk. "You're right. Our customers can get a little antsy."
Tamaki smiles. "They can, but that's what makes them so adorable." He turns his head. "Are you going to come with us, my little niece?"
She turns her head back at the two, her hair flying over her shoulder. "Haruhi is going to meet me in here for lunch," she says. "Like usual," she quietly murmurs. The corner of her mouth twitches. She is holding a paper and he recognize the familiar scribbles of his writing; he smiles, slightly amused. She turns to Tamaki, frowning at him; her bottom lip juts out. "And I'm not your niece,"
She glances at Kyoya, but her eyes dart to the door behind him instead. "Anyway there are people waiting for you," she says, lifting a finger.
The boys both turn around and see a trio of three guys standing in the doorway. One of the boy's eyes widen when he catches the three in the room looking at him. Another face flushes a shade of red.
The third boy, the one in the middle, grins sheepishly. He runs his hand through his hair. "Looks like you all caught us. Sorry about that. We remember hearing that Yuki-chan is always in here for lunch."
"You did?" Fall-chan squeaks. Kyoya glances back at her and she is hiding the bottom half of her face by her hands.
"Why are you looking for, Fall-chan? Who are you?" Kyoya asks, glancing back at the boys.
The leader's fist lightly collides with his palm. "I knew I forgot something. How rude of me! My name is Hayaki Kaede. This is Jurou Katsu and Yuu Takeshi," he introduces. He gestures his head at the boy who blushed and the boy whose eyes widened, respectfully. He crosses his arms over his chest. "We're from class 2-C."
Hayaki pauses, taking a few steps into the room. "And we just want to learn about Yuki-chan. She sounds interesting, especially to be in crowd with the infamous host club," Hayaki explains, smiling. "We just think that she should meet other people. Is that so wrong?" he asks, raising his hands.
Kyoya glances back at Fall-chan who looks at them with her bewildered blue eyes. He glances back at them and starts walking toward them. "It's not my place to say yes or no to that," he says. "Let us go, Tamaki. We don't want to miss lunch. And I'm sure these boys would like to talk to her alone."
"Wait, Ootori-san. I'm supposed to-"
"Okay!" Tamaki cries out, running after Kyoya. The two exit the classroom, but Tamaki's head pops back in. "Don't do anything to hurt my little flower! She can be sensitive," he comments before leaving the room again.
Kyoya can hear the boys shuffling over to Fall-chan as she laughs nervously. He walks down the hallway, Tamaki in close pursuit.
"How do you think she'll be?" Tamaki asks, falling in sync with Kyoya's pace.
Kyoya keeps his eyes forward. "It does not really pertain to me," Kyoya admits. "But Fall-chan is skittish around us. I've even seen her act that way around Fujioka-kun."
"Is it alright for us to leave her alone?" Tamaki asks. His eyes fall to the floor. "She was so flustered yesterday when everybody surrounded her. How will she fare with us leaving her on her own?"
"Your niece is a big girl, Tamaki. Have some faith," Kyoya tells him.
"Maybe we should all do something together. I feel like we all need to bond so we can all become a close family!" Tamaki suggests. He turns towards Kyoya and his eyes light up. "Hey, maybe we can"
"I already have an idea of what you're suggesting. Let us discuss it today and figure out when-"
"All of the best things in life are spontaneous!" Tamaki says. "Let us go today! After school! Everybody will definitely say yes!"
"You're pushing it, Tamaki," Kyoya says. "But I'll see what I can do." He takes out his cell phone and flips it open. Kyoya's eyes narrow at the screen, and he makes out the shape of a figure running towards them out of his peripheral vision. "Good afternoon, Fujioka-kun," he greets.
The girl stops running and blinks her brown eyes. "Kyoya-senpai, Tamaki-senpai, how are you two doing? Did you just leave the classroom? Is Yuki still in there?"
"I'm doing great! Thank you for asking, Haruhi!" Tamaki cries. "And how are you doing my lovely little-"
"Fall-chan is indeed still in the classroom; we just left," Kyoya says, quickly interrupting the blonde idiot. Before Haruhi can keep going, Kyoya continues speaking. "I wouldn't go and bother her. There are some gentlemen that wanted to make her acquaintance. You can see her at the club tonight. Come and join us for lunch instead."
Haruhi's eyes widen. "People are talking to her?" she asks. She shakes her head and walks pass the duo. "I should really go and meet with her. I promised-"
"Come, Haruhi!" Tamaki cries, grabbing the girl by her arm. She lets out a cry as Tamaki pulls her down the hall. "You can eat with us! And the twins aren't even fighting this time!"
Haruhi tries to protest but her cries are futile as she and Tamaki turn the corner. "Let me go!" she cries.
Kyoya smirks as he watches them. He glances back at the classroom and he can hear soft chatter coming from it. His smirk quickly disappears, being replaced by a frown, and he stuffs a hand into the pocket of his pants and he continues moving forward.
"They pretty much did all the talking," Yuki tells Haruhi. He slips the maid uniform on over his body. He frowns when he realizes that one of his arms didn't make it through the poofy sleeves. "It was really... weird."
Haruhi had met Yuki on the way to the club and Yuki had nearly barreled into her with a nervous excitement. He had explained to her about how the three men had come looking for him because they thought that he deserved to meet other people. They had talked about small things, but mostly about the things they liked about Ouran Academy. Yuki had done little talking, like when they had asked what he thought of the school. But the talk was all very small.
"But that's good, isn't it?" Haruhi asks. She sits on the floor with her back against the wall. One of her legs sticks out as her other is bent to the side. "That people are talking to you."
"It really made me anxious. Like really."
"But they're not judging you. And isn't that what you're worried about?" Haruhi asks.
"They just want to learn about me so they can judge me! Once they learn everything about me, they'll-"
"It's not like they'll exactly learn about your past. Not when you're supposed to be a girl," Haruhi comments.
Yuki flinches. He stuffs his arm through the poofy sleeve and adjusts the sleeve so it rests on his shoulder. "Gee, thanks."
"I didn't mean it like that!" Haruhi says, holding her hands up defensively. "They just won't think anything of you or treat you how your old school treated."
"I really shouldn't have told you everything that happened," Yuki mumbles. He looks at himself in the mirror and pushes some of his fake hair aside. He frowns at his image. "Now I feel more subconscious than I was before."
"I don't really think anything of you being gay," Haruhi says, shrugging her shoulders. "It doesn't change who you are."
Yuki quickly turns around to face her. "Don't say that so loudly! Everybody can hear you!"
Haruhi chuckles to herself, pushing herself off the ground. "Sorry. I really am." Yuki walks over to her, heading for the door. "But I don't care if you're gay or not," Haruhi whispers. Yuki turns to her and Haruhi smiles slightly. "You're still Yuki."
"You're the only person to tell me that… Except for my mom," Yuki says. "Thanks."
"Just don't get too feely right now," Haruhi says. She opens the door and walks out in the clubroom.
Yuki frowns and follows after her. They walk into the room and look around at the emptiness. It is silent in the room. There is no laughter, no giggles, and no talking. They can only hear the sound of fingers typing at keys.
Kyoya sits alone at a table. His attention concentrates on the laptop in front of him. The glare of the screen reflects off his glasses. He pays no attention when the two approach him.
Or at least until Haruhi breaks the silence.
"Kyoya-senpai, where is everybody?" she asks. Her eyes stare at Kyoya until he glances up, his eyes shifting between Haruhi and Yuki.
His eyes quickly return to his laptop. "There are no club activities to us today. I didn't have a chance to either of you, so I decided to wait here for you two."
"But you see me all day in class!" Yuki exclaims, stomping his foot harshly on the ground in frustration. His nose scrunches up in irritation. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"In all honesty?" Kyoya asks, arching an eyebrow. "I just wanted to see how dedicated you were."
"We're here to pay off a debt!" Yuki continues. His hands clench into fists. "And today was instant coffee day! I know how to make that! I was excited!"
"Kyoya, we really have better things to do than coming here on a day where there are no activities," Haruhi sighs in disdain. She glances sideways at Yuki.
Yuki turns and stomps away. "I'm gonna change," he announces before closing the door behind him.
Kyoya winces as he hears the door slam, but he keeps his composure as he continues doing what he usually does: type.
"Why didn't you tell us that there wasn't club today?" Haruhi asks as soon as her companion goes back into the room. She turns towards Kyoya. "I could have gone home to do homework and laundry."
Kyoya's fingers tap against the keys of his laptop. "If I told you, you and Fall-chan would have not come. You know how Tamaki likes to be with being with everybody," he says. "Besides, it's good practice to see how fast Fall-chan can get ready for the day. This was record timing."
Haruhi frowns. "It's still a waste of time to come here when not needed," she says. She stands opposite of the table that Kyoya sits at.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, Haruhi," Kyoya says. "We originally had something planned for activities this afternoon, but our plans have changed."
Her frown deepens. "This just gives Yuki and me more time to do our homework and chores then."
Kyoya readjusts his glasses. "Of course. More time…" he says, trailing off. He stops typing and looks up at Haruhi. "You can go now, Haruhi. I'll give Fall-chan a ride."
She skeptically raises her eyebrow at him. "You'll give Yuki a ride home? How much will that cost her?"
He glances back down at his laptop, continuing his work. "I'm not that petty to charge her for a ride. I offered, did I not? So you are excused."
Haruhi's eyes narrow. She sighs and closes her eyes. "Fine. I'll be going then," she says, walking towards the door.
"I shall see you later," Kyoya says as she closes the door behind her.
He sits alone in the room in a near silence, with the exception of the click clack of his keyboard as he types. His fingers move rapidly, his eyes scanning the brightly-lit screen. After a few minutes he hears a door open and footsteps approach him. He looks up.
"You did very well this week. It seems that you're finally starting to settle in with the club," Kyoya compliments when he sees Fall-chan standing there. He closes his laptop and smiles up at the girl.
Her eyes shift around. "Are you talking to me?" she asks.
"Who else would I be talking to?" Kyoya asks. He picks up his bag and puts his laptop in it.
She turns her head as she looks around the room. Her blues eyes land on Kyoya. "Anybody but me?" she snidely remarks. Kyoya frowns at her and she returns the gesture. "But thank you. I have been trying."
Kyoya glances down as he fastens the straps of his bag. "It shows in your work. You're actually being compliant with our orders."
Fall-chan grimaces. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"For you? Yes," Kyoya comments.
"Thanks… I suppose." She pauses and frowns. "So where's Haruhi?"
Kyoya glances down at his watch. "If my calculations are correct, the twins should be apprehending her right."
The girl's eyes widen. "What are you talking about?"
Kyoya stands up and walks over to her, looking down at her. "Tamaki wants our club to go on a gathering. You are also invited, Fall-chan."
She takes a step back. "But I don't want to go anywhere."
Kyoya shakes his head. "Fall-chan, you can either come the easy way or the hard way."
"I don't want to go," Fall-chan says. She walks pass Kyoya. "I should get going. I have to go home."
"Fall-chan, we would really appreciate it if you went," a feminine voice says.
"Our masters tell us that we are to capture you and force you to come if you don't come willingly," a similar voice says.
Fall-chan gasps when she sees twin black-haired maids appear in front of her. She scrambles backwards and runs up to Kyoya. "What is the easy way?"
Kyoya smirks and pushes his glasses up his nose. "I assumed you would come to that conclusion. Come," he says, walking forward, "you'll be riding with me in my limo."
Yuki's eyes shift uncomfortably, following a few paces behind him. "Where are we going?"
Kyoya glances back at her, his smirk still on his face. "My family's new theme park."
"I've never been good with roller coasters or any others," she whispers.
"That's perfectly okay, considering it's an indoor water park."
So I'm not planning on following the anime or the manga with this story. However, there are some scenarios that I wish to include. I will not be following the script. The next chapter is essentially Jungle Pool SOS and Hunny will be still be carried away, but I will be greatly changing some things.
REVIEW RESPONSE
MoonlightRurouni (Moony)– Your concern is perfectly acceptable. Does this update prove how I'm hoping my schedule will be? It's a perfect 3-for-3, one update each month. If this doesn't continue, then it'll be every other month. And he didn't really reduce the debt. He just didn't add it xD.
TripleSmashTwins – Thank you very much.
KR Wolfe – Every good chapter in the world has to end with a teenager because yelling at his or her parent, am I right? That ending was inspired by my mom –insert heart here-.
Harry1675 – I guess it's good that this chapter was nearly complete! Now you can read this.
And remember: I'm feeling ambitious. I'm hoping to reach 50 reviews by the tenth chapter. Come and help Yuki (and myself) accomplish this goal.
Thank you!
KaidaThorn
