Rated T for Language
Edit: July 10, 2014. Living Different Lives is going through an editing process. I'm also posting new chapters every week. Chapter 7 has undergone extensive editing, just FYI.
Song Inspiration
But don't you remember?
Don't you remember?
The reason you loved me before,
Baby, please remember me once more
- Don't You Remember by Adele
Chapter 7 – Lovesick Woes
Springtime - the definition of new beginnings, clean starts, and a new school term.
But, time was flying by swiftly. The spring term was coming close to an end and summer break was nearing.
"Rei-chan hasn't come to visit in awhile. Almost two months. Why is that?" Hani asked Raiden as he walked past with a tray of cakes.
"Oh, she hasn't been feeling well." Raiden placed a plate of cake down on the table.
Mori and Hani looked up at him with concern. "Really what's happened?" chimed Hani.
"Oh, uh…"
"Raiden," Mori said this time, sternly.
"I-she's been upset," Raiden sighed. "Uh, well remember that day we followed her and her boyfriend. Well…it turns out they really were breaking up," Raiden sighed, "they finally broke up a few weeks ago," he confessed. "She's even missed a few days of school."
"What? That's terrible. Takashi, what do we do?"
"What no! Senpai, please don't. She will kill me if you guys do anything. I mean she doesn't even know we followed her that day. She didn't want to say anything to begin with but I found out the other day. She was yelling and throwing stuff in her room."
"No!" Tamaki grabbed Raiden by the shoulders. "This cannot be. We cannot let one of our own suffer under the plights of love. Today, we will restore her spirits."
# # #
"I thought she said she broke up with her boyfriend," Hikaru whispered.
The host club entered the Japanese style room the Moriyama's had in their home. Reina was sitting outside on the deck curled up in the arms of a blonde haired man.
"What are you talking about? That's my brother," Raiden set a tray of tea down on the table.
"What?!" They all yelled.
"You have a brother?" inquired Haruhi.
"Yes. That's my older brother."
"How is it that you've never told us you had a brother?" Kaoru asked.
Raiden shrugged. "It's never come up."
The hugging siblings stopped upon noticing they had company. The boy stood up and walked into the room. Reina stayed back and curled up into a ball.
"Good afternoon," his voice was silky and soft.
"Guys this is my brother Akihiko," Raiden introduced. "Akihiko these are my friends from school." He introduced them quickly.
Akihiko didn't hide the surprise when he heard some names. The host club looked at him with awe. He was just as, maybe even more, handsome than Raiden. Raiden's good looks weren't a secret per se, but he tended to tone down his looks while he was at school by hiding his face behind large rimmed glasses and shaggy hair.
His dark gray eyes rested underneath perfectly arched eyebrows. His cheekbones and jaw seemed to have been chiseled out of stone. His blonde hair made him look even more striking.
"Welcome to our home, but I'm not so sure it was a good idea for you to come…" Akihiko gave Raiden a pointed look.
"We just wanted to make Reina feel better," said Hani.
Suddenly a hard knock was heard from the front door. Reina stood up and ran for the door. They could hear quiet murmurs and then the door slamming.
Akihiko rushed to the door, followed by the hosts, but they found no one in the entryway. Akihiko opened the door and ran out. He stopped at the gate and looked around the corner. Everyone followed him.
"Its him!" Raiden whispered harshly. Akihiko waved him away.
Reina and Shizuo were standing down by the corner. She was pressed into his body, and her arms were wrapped around his torso like a lost child, "Shizuo."
Shizuo sighed quietly pulling her closer to him. His voice strained, "why are you doing this?"
She tilted her head upward. Her eyes had a heavy lidded look, "I missed you. I just wanted to see you before you left."
He sighed again. He took a firm hold of her chin and brought her lips to his.
"Reina!" Raiden couldn't hold himself back. He leapt away from the gate and started running toward them. Akihiko reached out an arm to try and stop him, but missed.
She ignored her brother's yell and deepened the kiss, much to Shizuo's chagrin. His hand moved down to the nape of her neck. Her hands moved upwards to grip his shirt tightly, pulling him closer to her.
"Reina!" Raiden's voice was getting closer. They could hear his feet pounding on the ground as he ran toward them. Reina held on tighter.
Once he reached them, Raiden gripped her arm tightly. He pulled her away from the man so forcefully she tripped over her brother's feet and fell to the ground. Akihiko and the boys were right behind him. Mori knelt down to help her up.
Raiden looked down at his sister, surprised with his own actions, but he quickly looked back at the man who was previously sucking her face off. He shoved him away "Who do you think you are?"
"Raiden," her voice wavered. Mori held her against his chest. "Stop. You don't know what you're doing." She saw the host club forming a circle around her brother.
"Stay away from her."
"Wait, now." Shizuo looked down at the boy. He was much more taller than Raiden's five feet and seven inches. Shizuo was nearing six foot two and had unruly hair that made him look even taller. "I don't think you understand what's going on."
"Stay away from my sister," Raiden almost growled.
"Raiden, stop. Please. You…you don't know what you're doing. I'll explain. Please just go back to the house."
He turned around to face her. Anger seeped out of every pore. "Never mind! Do whatever you want." He pushed past his siblings and the host club and stomped into the house. Mori finally let Reina stand on her own.
"I'm sorry," Reina said.
"There's nothing for you to apologize for." Shizuo straightened his arms. "I'm sorry." He picked up the suitcase and violin case that were by his feet.
"Have a safe flight," her voice was small, almost a whisper
He nodded. He leaned forward as if he was going in for another kiss, but stopped and decided not to. He straightened himself up and began to walk away from the small group.
"Wait," Reina choked. Shizuo froze.
"Reina," Akihiko whispered quickly.
She took one small step. Shizuo turned around. The boys could see his cheeks were wet with tears. Reina hiccupped and ran after him. He dropped his suitcase and violin and wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck. She buried her face in his chest.
Akihiko took the host's attention away from the young lovers, "You guys want to stay for dinner?"
# # #
The host club found themselves sitting in the living room with a plate of okonomiyaki lying in the middle of the low table.
"Help yourselves," Akihiko sat down next to Kyouya. Raiden was sitting on the couch sulking. Reina was upstairs, presumably locked up in her room, crying.
The silence was thick.
"So you're the older brother," Kaoru swung a fork around.
"Yes. Yes I am." Akihiko scratched his head lightly.
"Do you go to university?" Haruhi asked.
"Yes. I'm studying medicine and I'm sorry if I'm being too forward but…are you a girl?" Haruhi was still dressed in her school uniform.
The boys immediately stiffened.
"Yes. You caught on quickly. It took Reina-senpai weeks to figure it out and only because Tamaki spilled the beans."
Akihiko laughed. "Yeah, she doesn't see the obvious sometimes. Neither of my siblings can actually."
"Hey!" Raiden shouted back.
"So, you're the host club," Akihiko changed the subject, "I've heard a lot about you."
"Really?" asked the twins.
"Oh yeah!" Akihiko looked on playfully. "My sister claims you're the most handsome bunch of guys she's ever seen and that's saying something considering what she does for work." He took a big bite out of his food.
"What does that mean?" Hikaru and Kaoru inched forward. Raiden eyed his brother.
"Well, she's a model."
"I knew it!" the twins yelled at the same time. "Official confirmation!" they gave each other high fives. "What are we going to do about it?" Kaoru whispered to his brother.
"What?!"
"Come on, Raiden. Are you really that clueless?" Akihiko shook his head.
"Why is she working as a model? For who?" Raiden inched closer to his brother.
"For the money, duh." Akihiko took another bite. "She's been working for Hitachiin for almost a year."
"Why does she need the money?" Kyouya asked this time.
"Well, unlike you, my well intentioned friends, we don't have our bank accounts linked to our family funds. My father uses the money he earns to pay his bills and Raiden's tuition. Reina pays her tuition. I have a job to pay my tuition. That's how life works."
"She has to pay for tuition?" asked Haruhi.
"Yeah. St. Lobelia isn't as expensive as Ouran but she has to pay all of it plus boarding and transportation costs. It's pretty far."
"I was wondering," Hani cut in. "Why does Rei-chan go to St. Lobelia?"
"She was expelled from Ouran," Akihiko disclosed nonchalantly, sticking another forkful of food in his mouth. "It was a pretty big deal back in the day, but we're past it now."
"What?!" This time everyone yelled.
"Aki, are you serious?" Raiden knelt down next to his brother. "Why didn't I know this?"
"You did, you just never paid attention to it. You stopped paying attention to a lot of things after you started middle school," Akihiko shrugged his shoulders.
"Why was she expelled?" asked Mori.
Akihiko eyed Tamaki curiously. "I'm not sure if it's appropriate to say. The chairman's son is sitting right here."
The club turned to face Tamaki. A scared expression etched on his face.
"Well, it's in the past, I'm sure it's okay," Akihiko chuckled, "I was just teasing you. Anyway, she was defending my honor." Akihiko sounded proud.
"Why?" Mori asked again.
"There's not much honor in a bastard child, but there is a little and Reina was determined to protect it," Akihiko said eloquently.
"A bastard child?" Haruhi inquired.
Akihiko pointed to himself. "Yes, some of her classmates, upon discovering my identity, insulted my family. My baby sister in turn, pulled out their hair, threw their book bags out a window and trashed a classroom."
They all stared at the oldest Moriyama child wide-eyed. "I think I remember that," Hani noted, "it was right after our third year graduation ceremony."
"She was having a few troubles in school anyway. That may have been the tipping point though."
"Aki," a quiet groan interrupted their thoughts. Reina was standing in the doorway, clutching a stuffed dog. She looked disheveled. She had changed into an oversized sweater and maroon leggings.
"Reina," Hani said quietly.
"Hey, sunshine. You hungry?" Akihiko stood up. She nodded. Akihiko motioned for her to sit in his spot. After a few moments hesitation she dropped down in his old seat. Kyouya moved over slightly to giver her some more room. He eyed her wild hair and stuffed dog she was carrying.
"That's a cute dog," Hani mused.
"Thank you," she gripped it tighter. "I didn't think of it at first but I just remembered Shizuo gave it to me on our first date."
"How long were you two together?" Tamaki asked, his face sad.
"Three years. Almost four."
"That long?" Raiden slammed his hand on the table. "Why didn't I know?"
"You didn't want to know, Raiden," Reina snapped, "every time I brought it up you'd always complain and say you hate the idea of me having a boyfriend. You've always said it."
"I-" Raiden began but stopped. Akihiko suddenly appeared with another plate to serve her some food. He placed the plate down on the table and then leaned against the wall.
"If it's okay to ask," Haruhi interrupted, "why did you guys break up?"
"Haruhi," Tamaki warned. "Don't ask that, that's rude."
"No, it's okay Suoh-kun." Reina took a bite. "Well, Shizuo is a musician," she began.
The news took everyone by surprise.
"He did have a violin case," Hani announced softly.
"He was offered a scholarship to study at a music school in America," Reina continued, "We talked about it and I told him he should accept it. It's a once in a lifetime experience."
She played with one of the ears on her toy dog.
"It's really a one-way ticket. He'll be in America now and I'll be here in Japan. He doesn't have any family here. There really wasn't any other option. He thought it was best anyway." She took a long breath. "I mean it's what he's been working for his whole life. I couldn't ask him to stay. I thought it best." She said more determined.
"Why?" Raiden asked.
"Well," she gazed at the table, contemplating, "grandfather will probably want to marry me off to someone so might as well cut the cord now…and I'm positive grandfather said something to him. Shizuo seemed so distant a few weeks before he gave me the big news. It was only a matter of time..." she poked her food with her fork.
"What does your family do anyway?" Kaoru leaned on his elbow.
"The Moriyama family holds the largest shares for the Bank of Japan," Kyouya answered. Reina and Akihiko eyed him warily. "Their family was part of the original governors of the bank."
Reina and Akihiko nodded, satisfied with Kyouya's explanation.
"Their grandfather founded their pet project, Yama Group, it's an investment company which specializes in contracting and building. Their grandmother's family own a successful chain of resort & spa ryokan," Kyouya added.
Reina's face began to flush. "Thank you encyclopedia Kyouya," she muttered.
Kyouya nodded approvingly. Reina smirked and rolled her eyes.
The hosts gaped.
"You're welcome," Kyouya replied, ignoring her sarcasm.
"I didn't know your family was so successful," Haruhi baffled.
"Yeah, we don't really talk about it," Reina mumbled. "It's not for us to brag about."
"Then why do you live in this house?" Hikaru blurted.
Haruhi shot him a silencing glare.
"It's been in our family for generations. My uncle lives in a much larger and classier house though. Does that make you feel better?" Reina replied snootily.
Hikaru stuck his tongue out.
"Well," Akihiko suddenly announced. "I'm off to work. Reina take care of the house."
"Okay," she droned.
Akihiko bowed respectfully, "It was a pleasure to meet all of you. I look forward to our next meeting." He spun around on his heel and walked down the hallway and out of sight.
Silence soon enveloped.
"Lets watch a movie," Kaoru offered.
"Sure," Raiden sprung at the idea.
"I'm going upstairs," Reina stood from her spot.
"What, why?" Hani asked sitting up from his seat as well.
"I'm going to go play some Uki Doki Memorial." Reina began to walk toward the stairs.
"Don't play that game!" Raiden yelled after her.
"I need to feel loved right now and Toshiro is the only one who can give that to me right now!" Reina screamed back.
A long sigh passed around the host club.
"We never should've introduced her to Renge," Hikaru commented.
Reina sat down in a soft arm chair next to a large window. The host club was open for business.
She sighed. She had spent so much time wallowing in her sadness over Shizuo that she forgot what she was doing with the host club.
"Renge-kun?" Reina asked, getting the first year's attention.
"Yes?" Renge spun around, her dress spinning in the air.
"What would you do to get someone's attention?" Reina asked straight out.
Renge's expression brightened immediately. She took a seat in the armchair next to her and leaned forward. "What do you mean? Is there someone at this school you have your eye on? The host club! Is it someone in the host club?"
Reina blushed, her face flushed, giving off a fresh wave of heat. "No!" she stammered. "It's for someone else."
Renge grinned. "Right. It's for someone else. That's what they all say." She rolled her eyes.
"Renge-kun," Reina groaned.
"When I need advice about boys," Renge held a finger up, "I always think back to Uki Doki Memorial."
"Really?"
Renge nodded, her light brown curls bouncing with each nod. "Miyabi is the sweetest. I just think back to what he's done to make me happy. I want to find a boy who would do that in real life."
"So…? What would you do to get someone's specific attention?" Reina asked again.
"I'd talk to him. Try to get to know him. Hang out outside of school." Renge shrugged. "That kind of stuff."
Reina nodded in understanding. She glanced around the room, eyeing each individual host.
Renge grinned. "It is someone in the host club!"
"No!"
Renge began to squeal. "I should totally make a doujinshi for you."
Reina gawked. "Oh please no. Wait," She paused, contemplating the actual thought of having her own doujinshi series. She shook her head vigorously. "Don't!"
"Senpai?" Tamaki appeared before them. "Is everything alright?" Tamaki was acting extra delicate, considering Reina's recent developments.
Renge lifted herself from her seat and flitted away. "I can't wait to start making them!" she sing-songed.
Reina was about to protest, but decided to just drop it. She hoped maybe Renge would just forget about her idea over the summer break.
"Suoh-kun?"
"Yes?" Tamaki grinned.
"What kind of things do you boys like to do?" Reina tried to make her question as broad as possible.
Tamaki placed a finger to his chin, "Well…"
A.N. - Thanks for reading!
Note: Miyabi is the only character from Uki Doki Memorial that is named. Toshiro is a made up name, but it's supposed to be Mori's look alike in the game.
