HI guys! I just wanted to say thank you. Since you've been reviewing, I've gotten the drive to write back! Of course, part of that is me updating, but still. I really couldn't do this without you, so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
By the way, I've received some PMs about this, so allow me to clear some things up.
Kea is younger than Haruhi. In the anime, Haruhi is 15 at the beginning of the series. Now that they are leading up to summer, she is 16. At the beginning of the story, Kea is 14. Now, she is 15.
Another thing people are confused about are their heights. While Haruhi is older, Kea is taller. According to Ouran Wiki, Haruhi is 5'1". According to me, Kea is 5'8" without her heels, which puts her seven inches taller than Haruhi. So, to recap,
Haruhi is 16 and 5 feet, 1 inch tall.
Kea is 15 and 5 feet, 8 inches tall.
Hope that clears things up. Now, on to the review responses.
To BeckaBeMaia: No problem! I'm glad you're liking the story, and I hope your Halloween went well!
To gothicpoet0615: I don't know what I'd do without you. Seriously. Your reviews are the lifeblood of this story, and I'm not exaggerating on that. As for Nekozawa being afraid of Azamuki, I had that planned from the start.
Don't you worry. The Host Club will find out what Ayanokouji's plan is, and they will deal with her. You're just going to have to wait a little longer, my dear. In the mean time, please enjoy this chapter!
I will warn you though. This first part has descriptions of the injury inflicted on Kea. Some of you had asked to know what happened in the room, and this is the lead up. If you read the previous chapter, then you know about the blood and stuff. Kea was severely injured, and, because of that, there are mentions of blood and stuff. If you don't like that, then skip to the first time skip icon (*/*\*/*\*) You'll be fine after that.
That said, please enjoy! And please, please, please, PLEASE review. Thank you! 😘
Chapter VII
Kea hissed as she pulled off her shirt. Gritting her teeth, she looked at the white garment, frowning at the stain on the left side. She tossed it onto the ground with a huff, walking over to the mirror. With a shaking hand, she brushed her fingertips along her side. The wound she had received during the physical exam was healing, but it was extremely slow going. That was to be expected though, considering the blade that had wounded her was coated in a toxin.
"I wonder what Ayanokouji's endgame is." Kea muttered to herself. Her eyes clouded over in thought. "What could she gain by injuring me? What does she hope to achieve?"
The night after the exam, she had called the board, asking them which nurse attended to Haruhi. After getting a name, Chizuru Akihiro, she asked for her to be sent to her dorm room. Chizuru was very compliant. Though she had a bit of remorse about it, Kea did bribe the woman with a hefty sum of money (in dollars, not yen) for her silence on the matter.
Once the agreement was made, Chizuru had stitched Kea's side back up. The procedure lasted two, excruciatingly long and painful hours. In the end, it was worth it, though, by the time it was over, Kea had almost passed out from pain and blood loss. Chizuru was very well aware of the pain Kea was in, and gave her a numbing drink, one Kea gratefully took. In the past month, Kea ensured that only Chizuru knew the extent of Kea's wound…
Including her blood poisoning.
The toxin that the blade had been coated in wasn't meant to kill Kea. Instead, it was a poison specialized for slowing the healing process, ensuring the victim would die of blood loss. And, for the past month, Kea had felt the effects of the poison. It was creeping through her system, hindering her body from healing the gaping gash in her side. But, thanks to Chizuru's masterful job of suturing, the wound stayed closed, despite the occasional stabbing pain when she stretched her skin too far. After a bleeding incident here and there, Kea learned to wrap her side in bandages.
Speaking of those, Kea winced as she undid the butterfly closures, unwrapping her midsection. The discolored white strips pooled at her feet. The cerulean-eyed brunette sighed to herself, dragging her fingers just outside the stitches, frowning at the sight of the discolored skin and pronounced purple veins running up and down her side. Just then, two knocks sounded at the door.
"Come in." The door opened enough to let the familiar figure in. "Hey Chizuru-san."
"Hello, Miss Kea. How are you healing?"
"Not much better than last week. It seems the poison is spreading." Chizuru frowned, walking over to the girl. She kneeled next to the teen, inspecting the scar. Kea watched her face as she inspected the healing wound.
"You're right." Chizuru sighed, standing. She walked over to her bag, taking out a fresh roll of bandages and a tube of soothing cream. Kea stood still, sighing to herself as Chizuru repeated the process she had already done four times before.
"Why do you think it's spreading so far?"
"Do you want my opinion as a doctor… or as a friend?"
"Both, if you don't mind." The woman chuckled softly, lifting her chocolate brown eyes to look into Kea's cerulean ones.
"That's good, cause they're the same."
"And they are?"
"You've been moving too much." Kea lifted an eyebrow. "Maybe you should consider taking a break from visiting the Host Club."
"Chizuru, I know you know I'm not a client."
"I realize that, Kea-san. But you must realize that the continued exertion of your body is preventing you from chasing the toxins from your body. If you want to heal more quickly, you must not walk around as much."
"I can't help it that my classes are all over the place."
"Who else knows how badly you've been hurt?"
"Only you." Chizuru stared up at Kea, shock written all over her face. "I don't want a lot of people knowing. It'll only cause for more problems." The woman huffed, planting her hands on her hip.
"Can't you at least tell Miss Fujioka? I'm sure he'll help you."
"Haruhi can't keep a secret to save her life. As much as I trust her, I can't tell her about this."
"And why not?"
"Because she would go straight to the Host Club… all of whom have reputations to loose. Especially Tamaki." Chizuru sighed, shaking her head.
"I suppose that's true." Kea looked down, brushing her fingers over the bandages as Chizuru picked up the old ones.
"Even I know how much a scandal it would cause if word got out that a student was wounded on campus, during a physical exam no less." Kea sighed, taking her pajamas from Chizuru. She let the woman put the shirt on her so she wouldn't strain her side. Chizuru patted Kea's shoulder.
"I left a bunch of antitoxin on your desk. I want you to take one vial every meal, okay? It'll help diffuse the poison in your blood." Kea nodded, smiling softly at the woman, even though she was secretly dreading having to drink the horrible tasting medicine.
"Thank you, Chizuru." Kea turned around, staring at her reflection. "You haven't told anyone about this, have you?"
"No. I've bought everything I've used on you with the money you gave me." Kea nodded.
"Thank you. I mean it when I say I don't want anyone else knowing about this." Chizuru bowed to Kea, picking up her bag. As she grabbed the doorknob, she looked over her shoulder.
"You know Kyoya-sama will figure out something's wrong."
"I know. He's already suspicious, so I don't doubt he'll confront me about it sooner rather than later." Chizuru chuckled. "Don't worry, Chizuru. I won't let him know you've been helping me."
"Thank you, Kea-san. Goodnight. And try to get some sleep." With that, Chizuru left. Kea didn't do anything, instead continuing to look over her form in the mirror.
'My skin has definitely paled in the past few months. No… in the past few weeks.' Her eyes narrowed. 'I'm starting to get bags under my eyes as well.' "Maybe the poison is taking a bigger toll on me than I thought." Sighing, Kea stripped of her dress pants, pulling on her flannel pajama ones.
"I could always sit down in the Club instead of walking around, I guess."
*/*\*/*\*
Tamaki looked up, grinning when he saw Kea. Calling out her name, he waved her over excitedly. He noticed she deflated slightly, but he didn't think anything of it. She stopped in front of him, looking up at him.
"Yeah?"
"The results came in yesterday for our cosplay today!" Kea sighed, closing her eyes momentarily.
"And?" Tamaki held up a paper, all but shoving it in her face.
"We're doing an Arabian theme!" He laughed as Kea took the paper, reading it. He knew the second her eyes narrowed what she was thinking. "Don't worry. We have your costume in back."
"That's exactly what I'm worried about." Tamaki laughed, latching onto her shoulders. He started to push her into the back.
"I told you not to worry! The twins gave me all of your likes and dislikes, so I'm not going to make you wear that dancers outfit again." Kea stopped short, making the taller boy crash into her back. She immediately regretted it, as pain wracked her spine. She hid it by looking over her shoulder at him.
"You… actually listened to them?" Tamaki looked wounded.
"Well, I was the one who asked them." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I… I didn't like you mad at me, so…" To his surprise, Kea started laughing.
"Thanks Tamaki. That's sweet." He grinned, giving her another, but much more gentle, push towards the changing room.
"Don't, don't mention it. Now hurry up. You're hosting with me today, by the way." Kea nodded.
"Okay." Stepping inside the room, her eyes widened at the outfit. "Wow. I've worn some elaborate things in my life, but good gracious." She shook her head, slowly taking her vest off, placing it beside her on the bench. "He sure doesn't spare any expense for dressing up, that's for sure."
*/*\*/*\*
Footsteps sounded through the abandoned front entrance of Ouran Academy. A small figure, dressed in a green blazer and shorts, looked around, trying to get his bearings. He looked up at the massive, red-carpeted staircase that stretched up before him. Taking a deep breath, he began to ascend.
'The top floor of the south building.' His footsteps, though slow, had a strong purpose to them. 'At the end of the north hallway.' He looked up at the massive door, reading the sign above it.
'In a music room that's never used.' He smiled to himself. 'This is it! This is the place!' With a determined nod, he opened the door. Immediately, rose petals flew out to meet him. He fell back in surprise.
"Welcome to the Ouran Host Club." Eight voices chorused. The boy could only stare in shock. Trying to gain some semblance of sanity, he looked over each and every person, starting with the one on the far left. This one was tall, very tall.
He wore no shirt. Instead, a scarf was draped over his left shoulder and fastened to his waist by a brown belt. This belt also held up his purple pants and a very real-looking dagger. On his arms were golden gauntlets. A purple turban was wrapped around his head, and he wore no shoes.
The boy standing directly in front of him, in all honesty, kind of looked like a girl. His brown eyes were a lot larger than most, giving him a feminine look. His outfit didn't help any, either. He was dressed as a servant, holding a golden teapot. A cream pashmina was held to his head by a soft red tie. His tunic was cream as well, with a burgundy coloring on the edges of the sleeves, and a pink scarf with golden tassels was wrapped around his neck. His pants and his shoes couldn't be seen on account of the third figure squatting in front of him.
This boy looked no older than he was. He wore a pink scarf around his blonde head, the fabric barely keeping up the wrap that was supposed to go over his head. His shirt was a dark blue in color with orange cuffs. His pants were red, and he wore light bluish-grey tipped shoes.
The boy standing in the back was also dressed as a servant, though one of higher standing. He wore a very light purple turban, which matched the pashmina that was draped over his left shoulder, like the boy on the far left. Unlike the boy on the left, he was wearing a long-sleeve, black tunic that matched his pants. He also wore glasses, and held a basket of fruit in his right hand.
The next two were obviously twins. Their faces were identical. Each wore a dark blue pashmina held to their head by a golden band. Underneath their open-faced, light green-with-dark-green-siding shirts was a golden chest piece. They wore orange pants and light green, pointed sandals. But it was the figures in the middle that took the cake.
The first the observer saw was the male, who was reclining on a bed of furs. His blonde hair peeked out from underneath his red turban that had a white pashmina hanging from it, as well as two chains with different shaped charms on either side of his head. On his right wrist were several golden bracelets, matching the necklaces around his neck and the ring on his left middle finger. He wore a soft orange-and-red ensemble with a white fabric underneath, giving the impression of royalty. Another white pashmina was around his waist. His shoes were light brown sandals. His outfit was by far the most elaborate of all of them, save maybe the girl that had her arms wrapped around his neck.
Her outfit absolutely screamed royalty. A headdress of burgundy coloring went around her chocolate brown hair, two pieces of translucent dark burgundy fabric hanging at the sides, hiding her ears and accenting her cerulean eyes that sparkled from behind gold-rimmed glasses. The headdress had a red jewel in the middle; from this distance, he couldn't tell if it was real or not. On her shoulders were fabric guards with golden embroidery along the edges. A gold bracelet was on each bicep and wrist, an almost black translucent scarf connected to each pair, draping over the boy's shoulders that she had her arms around. From here, he could only see a bit of her torso and pants: a formfitting, almost corset-like burgundy top with golden embroidery and golden coin-like charms, and shiny, burgundy, loose pants that had golden sides and hugged her ankles. On her feet were strappy golden heels.
'I heard that the Host Club likes to dress up, but I never imagined this! And to think that they have a girl with them!'
"Oh, it's just a kid." He heard one of the twins remark.
"Not only that, it's just a boy." The other one said.
"What's wrong, little boy? Did you come to my palace in search of something?" The voice from the male in the middle made him snap out of his daze. As the blonde held his hand out, the boy stood up, walking into the room.
"A-are you the king of this place?" he asked. The surprise on the blonde's face was obvious. He sighed in delight, slightly creeping the boy out. "W-well are you?"
"Come closer, lost one." The boy stepped forward till he was standing directly in front of the blonde. "What was it you just called me, little boy?"
"The king." He stated. The blonde gasped in dramatic glee. He struck a pose, one hand over his heart, the other on his forehead. In doing so, he kind of threw the girl off of him, but, from what the boy could tell, she expected it, since she wasn't at all surprised. 'How long has she been a member of the Host Club?'
"The king! Yes! I am the king of the Ouran Host Club!" The blonde's purple eyes had stars in them. "Long live the Host King!" The boy took a deep breath to settle his nerves.
"I'm an elementary 5th year, Shiro Takaoji!" The blonde pressed his fingers to his cheeks as he stared at Shiro. Lifting a hand, he pointed his finger directly at the peculiar male. "I want the Host Club King to take me on as an apprentice!"
No one expected that. Blushing in surprise, the blonde once more touched his cheeks as his eyes swam with excitement. Grinning wildly, he hugged the small boy. Shiro squawked in surprise.
"Of course!" The blonde set Shiro on his feet. "From now on, I, Tamaki Suou, will take this little boy on as my apprentice!" Shiro nodded.
"When can we begin?"
"Tomorrow. Be here after school ends."
"I will." Shiro nodded again, leaving the Host Club. As he closed the door, he smirked to himself. 'Now that I'm the King's apprentice, I'll be able to tell her.'
*/*\*/*\*
"ARE YOU NUTS!?" Kea screamed at Tamaki. The Host Club had closed, and now Kea was free to speak her mind. She still hadn't changed out of her outfit. No one had, actually, since she had started wailing on Tamaki the second the doors closed. Everyone was standing off to the side, not wanting to get involved.
"But Kea! I have never before been called the King of the Host Club, never mind having someone want to be my apprentice!"
"But he's a kid! He's probably not even ten!"
"Actually, 5th year elementary students are usually around the age of twelve." Kea fixed her glare on Kyoya. He immediately ducked his head, remembering why it wasn't a good idea to be the target of her anger.
"Regardless…" she ground out. "I don't think it's a wise idea to bring a child in to all of this."
"What's wrong with it?" the twins asked simultaneously. All flinched back as Kea groaned snarled as she threw her arms up in the air, her scarves flying with the force of it.
"I give up! You are all just… GAH!" She stomped to the back. "Call me when it's important. And NOT before." Tamaki shivered.
"What's her problem?" Kyoya shrugged.
"She's American. What are we supposed to do-OW!" Everyone whipped their head around to see Kyoya holding his own. Looking at the ground, they saw a blunt pencil bouncing on the tile.
"Diss klironomiá mou kai páli, kai tha sas deÃxo ó, ti éna thymoméno amerikanikà gynaÃka boreà na kánei, Ootori!1" The twins looked at each other, shrugging.
"Anyone care to translate?"
"Nope." Came the instantaneous answer from everyone.
"Neither do we."
*/*\*/*\*
Shiro stared up at Tamaki as he entertained a young woman. As Tamaki had instructed, he had come back the next day. Thankfully, everyone was dressed normally. Shiro wasn't too keen on wearing a ridiculous outfit. On the other side of the room, Haruhi sweatdropped as she watched Shiro's 'training'.
"Don't you think it's weird he's having the kid observe him up close like that?"
"There is a theory that people are considered more beautiful the closer they are viewed. Tamaki seems to live by that theory." Kyoya stated, a slight laugh in his voice. He turned his head, writing in his notebook. 'And it's certainly true for Kea. Gai! Don't think that!'
"Well! Let's leave them alone." He could feel Haruhi's quizzical stare. Thankfully, the light was reflecting on his glasses, hiding his expression. He could feel his cheeks getting hotter.
'Damn. Ever since I cornered her that day, I can't get her out of my mind!' His pencil moved faster, his ears involuntarily hearing everything that went on while his thoughts went haywire. 'What is wrong with me? Why do I feel so worried about her?'
Kea hadn't come to the Host Club that day. Yesterday, she had hosted with Tamaki, and, from what Kyoya could tell, she quite enjoyed it. Of course, considering she had acted in a blockbuster movie, he didn't doubt she was putting on a show for Tamaki's benefit. It was this belief that set Kyoya's heart at ease, another disturbing thought.
'Why would I care? Yes, she's my assistant, but that doesn't mean that I own her. After all, she joined the Host Club of her own free will. It's not like anything's keeping her here.' His eyes narrowed behind his eyes.
'Why do I feel like this about her?'
*/*\*/*\*
'Stupid Host Club! Stupid Tamaki!' Shiro ran out of Ouran, trying to fight back the tears. He ground his teeth together as he ran, forcing the thoughts of the Host Club from his mind.
"What's wrong kid?" A soft voice stopped Shiro in his tracks. Turning around, he saw a girl leaning against the wall, one leg propped up, her arms crossed under her breasts. Her eyes were closed, and her outfit was different, but he recognized her hair and glasses. "Host Club not what you thought it was?"
"You… you're that girl from yesterday." She chuckled, opening her eyes to reveal cerulean-irises. "What are you doing here? I thought you were a Host too." She snorted harshly, surprising him.
"As if. I'm actually the Assistant Manager, but that's beside the point." She pushed off the wall, walking over to crouch before him. Taking a handkerchief out of her pants pocket, she wiped off the remaining marker from his cheek. "Let me guess: Renge tried to turn you into a Host Type, am I right?" Shiro nodded.
"If you're talking about that crazy French girl, then yeah." The brunette in front of him winced, grimacing slightly.
"Sorry about her. She's not exactly sane."
"Tell me about it. She said I was the "Naughty Type", whatever that means." The girl chuckled.
"Actually, that suits you." She sighed. "Again, beside the point." Shiro ducked his head as she stood. "You look like you could use a cup of tea." He looked up to see she had extended a hand to him. "Care to join me?" Shiro fervently shook his head, crossing his arms for effect.
"No way! I'm not going back to the Host Club!" He looked up in surprise when she started laughing. It sounded like the soft peals of bells, making him blush.
"I was talking about my dorm room, actually." Shiro blushed, averting his gaze.
"Oh. I… I suppose."
"Come on then." She held a hand out again. "Don't worry, Shiro. I don't bite." He glanced at her when she said his name. It was… gentle. Motherly almost.
"O, Okay." He took her hand, letting her lead him away from the south building. "By the way, what's your name?" She looked down at him, her eyes soft.
"Kea. My name is Kea."
影女王
"Here you go." Shiro took the cup from Kea. This one wasn't nearly as elaborate as the ones they had in the Host Club, but it was still fancy. "In case you were wondering, I brought this set with me from America." He lifted his brown eyes to meet her cerulean ones. "So don't break it, got it?"
"Yeah, I got it." He took a sip of the tea. "This is good." Kea smiled at him.
"Thank you."
"Is this an American tea?"
"Imported, but, yes." Shiro nodded.
"It's really good. What is it called?"
"Caramel Almond Ameretti. It's my favorite." Kea smiled, taking a sip of the steaming drink. Shiro smiled slightly as well, drinking the tea. "So…" Kea started as both set the teacups down. "Who's the lucky girl?"
Shiro recoiled in the chair. The movement carried him back until he and the chair crashed to the ground. He rolled off, rubbing his head while staring wide-eyed at Kea, who hadn't moved a muscle. Unless you count the muscles in her face, which were twitching on account of the amused smirk on her face. She wasn't fazed by his reaction in the slightest, since she had expected it. When he opened his mouth, she spoke first.
"Don't bother denying it. If you didn't like anyone, you wouldn't have fallen over like that." Shiro shut his mouth with a clack, looking away. "So… who is she?"
"Don't want to talk about it."
"Then tell me why you ran out of the Club with marker and bandages all over you." Shiro snorted.
"It was that psycho French girl-."
"Renge."
"And those homo twins-."
"Hikaru and Kaoru, and they're just really affectionate towards each other." Shiro gaped at her.
"You mean you accept the way they act!? It's totally homo! Besides that, it's insectuous!" Kea snorted in amusement.
"The proper word is 'incestuous', and I just think they're affectionate."
"How can you see that?!"
"Do you have siblings, Shiro?"
"Do you?!" he shot back.
"Yep." Kea interlaced her fingers, resting her elbows on her armrests. "Which is why I can understand the twins." Shiro looked down.
"Oh."
"Now pick up the chair." He did. "Sit down." He listened. "Now tell me about the girl."
"Well, her name is Hina Kamishiro, and she's the most beautiful girl I've ever met…"
*/*\*/*\*
"How did we let them talk us into this?" Haruhi peaked out around a corner.
"It'll be okay, Haru-chan! It was so easy to sneak in!" Mitsukuni peaked out around the parallel corner. "And wearing this uniform I really look like I'm in elementary school!"
"Yeah you do." Haruhi agreed. "I can understand why they wanted you to wear an elementary school uniform. I mean we are sneaking in to an elementary school and you totally fit in Senpai…" Mitsukuni looked over at Haruhi. "What I don't understand is why they made me dress up in this middle school uniform."
Oh! I should probably explain.
You see, after Shiro left the Host Club in a huff and Haruhi explained everything, Tamaki came up with a plan to help Shiro. It involved sneaking into his school to find the girl he liked and see what she liked, so they could help Shiro become the kind of boy she liked. With Shiro's statement the previous day of Mitsukuni looking like an elementary student, he was the obvious choice. However, the rest of the club had also chosen Haruhi to accompany him, despite her being too old to be in elementary school. Which left the middle school uniform, which was conspicuous to say the least.
She was in an elementary school after all.
"Why did he even bother with disguises!? We stick out like a sore thumb!" Behind the two, a door opened to reveal the remainder of the Host Club hiding in the shadows. Tamaki and Hikaru hid next to the door, having the best view.
"Oh there's a reason. A damn good reason." Tamaki chuckled to himself as Mitsukuni dragged Haruhi off by the arm.
"Isn't she the cutest?" the twins gushed.
"Oh! Look at her in that miniskirt! Haruhi looks like a little doll!" Behind Tamaki, Kyoya resisted the urge to slap the blonde upside the head.
"So basically you just wanted to see her dressed up like that." Tamaki sweatdropped, confirming Kyoya's suspicion. 'That idiot.' Down the hall, Mitsukuni opened a door.
"This is it! Shiro-chan's classroom!" The duo snuck in. "When I was in elementary school this was my classroom too!" Mitsukuni ran around with his arms out, looking very much like an excited elementary student. Haruhi followed at a more leisurely pace.
"There's no body here." She rested a hand on a desk.
"So the kid's classroom is empty is it?" Haruhi gritted her teeth at the sound of Tamaki's voice.
"This sure takes me back." Hikaru and Kaoru said as they walked in at the head of the group. Kyoya and Tamaki were behind them, with Takashi bringing up the rear. "I wonder if doodles are still on my desk." Kaoru continued.
"Doubtful. The school changes out the desks every year." Haruhi could feel a vein pulsing in her forehead. She started twitching as the Host Club started chatting like they owned the place.
"Hey!" She whisper-yelled. "If you're just going to barge in here like that, then why we'd wear these stupid disguises!?"
"Don't worry about it!" Hikaru said.
"There's no one here to catch us." Kaoru stated. Just then, footsteps sounded in the hall. Haruhi whipped around, panic written all over her face. They all ducked behind a desk. "If the teacher finds us…"
"We'll have a hard time explaining why we snuck in." Haruhi rolled her eyes.
"SHH! Shut up guys!" They all looked at her. "Just keep your lips zipped!" She mimicked the motion of zipping with her fingers across her lips. Tamaki and the twins copied her movement, though their faces were beet red.
'Haruhi's the cutest thing I've ever seen!' Once the footsteps passed the room, Haruhi peeked out the door. A man in a black suit with black business shoes was walking by, talking with a young woman wearing a plaid, long-sleeve shirt, knee-length grey skirt, white pumps, and a gray clutch slung over her right shoulder at his side. Haruhi tilted her head, trying to figure out why the girl looked familiar.
'Focus. I'll think about that later.' "It's alright, he's gone. But you guys!" They all stood, looking at her. "We came her to get the scoop on Shiro, so what do you think we should do now?"
"Well, here's something interesting." Everyone looked over to see Kyoya and Mitsukuni looking at a wall covered in pictures.
"What'd you find?" Kyoya simply pointed to a picture. It was a photograph of Shiro playing piano with a young girl. Both were smiling.
"Hey! That's Shiro!"
"So he's in the Classical Music Club."
"He looks like he's enjoying himself." Haruhi was right. Not only was Shiro smiling, but his eyes were alight with joy, and a slight blush stained his cheeks. "It's nice to see him with a smile on his face. I had no idea he could look so sweet."
"Yeah." Tamaki softly agreed. Kyoya led them out of the classroom, heading down a few corridors till they arrived at another room. This one was obviously a music room. A familiar figure sat on a windowsill.
"There he is!" Mitsukuni exclaimed softly. "There's Shiro-chan!" The boy was looking out the window, a thoughtful look on his face. He looked over when a little girl called out to him.
"I'm sorry, but have you been practicing the new piece teacher gave us?"
"The new piece? N-not really."
"If you want I can show it to you! Do, you wanna come play it with me?"
"No thanks. You go ahead. After all, there's only one grand piano. You should use it, Kamishiro." The girl blushed slightly.
"Thank you! I will then. And if you want to join me just let me know." Still smiling, she set up her stuff on the piano. Taking a deep breath, she began to play. As she did, everyone stopped talking, listening to her play. What was most evident was the peaceful, and blissful, smile on Shiro's face. Tamaki looked over as a little girl exited the room.
"Pardon me, mademoiselle." She looked up at him. He offered her a white rose, making the little girl blush. "I've never seen a rose more lovely than you, my dear. Here. This is for you."
"Uh… thank you." She took the rose, blushing prettily. Tamaki smiled softly.
"I was wondering if you could tell me anything about that young lady playing the piano. Do you know her?" The girl nodded.
"That's Hina Kamishiro."
"Her name is Hina?"
"That's right. But you'd better not fall in love with her."
"Why?" Everyone crowded behind Tamaki.
"Didn't you know? Hina has to move away soon. Her dad just got a new job in Germany, so they have to move there at the end of the week." A door opened.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Everyone looked up to see a very angry Shiro. "I want you idiots to leave! Immediately!" Instead, Tamaki picked up the boy, slinging him over his shoulder.
Ignoring his protests, the Host Club King began to walk out, the Host Club following behind him. Hina came out of the room, a worried look on her face. A soft hand on her shoulder looked up. A young woman with deep blue eyes and chocolate brown hair that draped beautifully around her face and shoulders was kneeling next to her. Hina blushed softly, smiling.
"Hi sweetheart." The mysterious young woman's voice was soft as she talked to Hina. "Is there something wrong?"
"I don't know." Hina looked down the corridor, where the group were fading specks. "Some high school students just came and took Shiro." The young woman looked up, following Hina's gaze. A gentle chuckle rumbled in her throat.
"Don't worry about it, little one. Shiro will be alright." Hina looked back at the teen as she stood.
"How can you be so sure?"
"I just am." The young woman looked back at Hina, smiling softly. Reaching inside her gray clutch, she pulled out an envelope. She handed it to Hina.
"Here. This is for you." Hina looked down at the envelope. Opening it, her eyes widened at the words.
You are invited to a private recital at 3pm on April 3rd. We would be honored by your presence. Sincerely,
Kea, Assistant Manager of the Ouran Academy Host Club
When Hina looked up, the young woman was gone. She ran down the hall, trying to catch a glimpse of the woman. She was nowhere to be seen. Smiling softly, Hina clutched the card to her chest.
"Okay. I'll come. It sounds like fun."
*/*\*/*\*
Kea waited in the hallway of Ouran's south building. She was wearing the same outfit she had worn to the elementary school so as to make her easier to identify. Of course, she had her glasses on, instead of contacts, and her hair up in a ponytail. She wasn't about to go without her glasses whilst in Ouran.
Looking up, she smiled softly at the sight of a small figure walking timidly down the lane. Kea stepped out into the the sun, waving to the girl. She smiled back, picking up her pace. She stopped in front of Kea, looking up at the taller brunette.
"Hi! You're the one who gave the the letter, aren't you?" Hina tilted her head. "Why are you wearing glasses?"
"I am, and I usually wear them. Are you ready?" Hina nodded.
"Yeah. Although, I have to ask… why me?" Kea giggled softly, extending a hand to the girl. Hina slipped her small hand into Kea's slightly larger one.
"You'll see soon, darling. Come on now. We don't want to be late." Hina smiled, closing her eyes.
"Okay!" She gripped Kea's hand. As they walked up the stairs, Hina couldn't help but feel nervous. She looked up when Kea squeezed her hand slightly in comfort.
"Don't worry, little one. You're going to be fine." Hina could only nod. Finally, they stood in front of the doors to Music Room #3. "Do you want to open the door?"
"O, okay." Slipping her hand from Kea's grasp, she clasping the handle. When she looked back, Kea smiled gently, nodding.
"Go ahead. They're waiting for you." Hina smiled back, taking a deep breath as she entered the room. An amazing sight met her.
Rose petals flew out as the doors flew open. On her right was an attractive young man with auburn hair, a tall, black-haired teen, and a cute blonde who looked like he was in grade school hanging off his shoulders. On her left was another attractive young man who looked identical to the first on her right, another black-haired boy, though he was shorter and wore glasses, a brunette teen with large brown eyes, and a tall blonde boy with purple eyes. All wore matching cream-colored tailcoats with a pink undershirt and brown pants with red-and-yellow striped ties… and all were smiling.
"Welcome princess." They said in unison. "We've been waiting." The tall blonde kneeled in front of her. His eyes were closed as he began to speak.
"I present to you… Shiro Takaoji's…" He held out a hand, pointing behind him. If possible, Hina's eyes widened further than they already had. There were two grand pianos… and Shiro was sitting at one of them. "Piano recital."
Hina blushed as she realized that this is why Shiro hadn't been around for any breaks the past week. She glanced back at Kea. The taller brunette nodded, a sweet, caring smile on her face. She motioned slightly with her head for Hina to turn around. Doing so, she saw the taller blonde pull out the chair sitting in front of the second piano.
"If you please, princess." Hina gasped softly, a smile on her face. Shiro turned to look at her, a smile on his face as well.
"Let's play together, Hina." She closed her eyes as her smile grew.
"Okay!" She sat down at the piano. Exchanging a glance with Shiro, they began to play. The notes flooded the room.
On the side, Tamaki, Mitsukuni, Takashi, Kyoya, Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi, and Kea watched the two elementary school sweethearts play. Kea smiled to herself, a blush on her cheeks as well. Her eyes were soft as she watched Hina and Shiro, the former with a truly happy smile on her face, and the latter with joy in his eyes. She sighed softly, catching Kyoya's attention.
'I recognize that look.' He mentally smiled. 'It's the same look she had in her eyes when we helped Kanako and Tohru.' He slid behind her, his chest just about touching her back. This way, he could ensure his voice was a soft whisper.
"It seems you have a soft spot for children." Kea chuckled softly. To his surprise, she leaned against him. He was thankful he was taller than her so he could look straight forward.
"Who doesn't?" She responded in an equally soft voice. Kyoya looked down, and was immediately met with her cerulean gaze. "It would seem you have a soft spot for them as well, Kyoya. Or… perhaps…" she stood on her tiptoes, whispering in his ear.
"It's a simple matter of you simply liking to help people." Kyoya blushed, turning his head away. Kea's faint chuckles reached his ear as she stepped down, turning around to look at the two. "I thought so." He took a step back, cutting off the contact. Not that he didn't enjoy having her pressed against him.
He was just afraid that she would be able to feel his heart beating. It felt like it would pop out of his chest at any moment. And, if he was honest, he would rather die than let her know he was embarrassed. Well, let her know any more than he already had.
"We did a good thing."
'I never thought I'd say this, but thank you Tamaki.' Kyoya thought in relief. Everyone's attention, well, audio attention, was directed towards Tamaki.
"He loves with all his heart." Haruhi mused. "So I guess, that's one more way Shiro takes after you. Huh, Senpai?" Tamaki looked down at Haruhi, smiling.
"Why yes. I'd say so." Haruhi smiled softly up at him. A hand on her shoulder made her turn around. Kea was smiling down at her. Haruhi returned the grin, letting Kea pull her to rest on her shoulder. Kea rested her plaid-covered arm over Haruhi's shoulders.
'Wait a minute. PLAID!?' Haruhi recoiled, looking over Kea's attire. 'I knew it! She was at Shiro's school!'
"Something wrong, Haruhi?" Kea glanced at Haruhi, a confused look in her eyes.
"Oh. It's nothing." Kea smirked, pulling Haruhi back so the shorter girl's head rested on her shoulder again.
"Good."
'She's just like Kyoya-senpai.' Haruhi spared a glance at the bespectacled Host. To her surprise, his pinky finger was wrapped around Kea's. 'I wonder… do they like each other?'
影女王
"So? You've been exchanging emails with Hina every day now that she's in Germany?"
"Yeah, more or less. I like her but she can get pretty jealous for an elementary school girl." He stated with no small amount of pride. "She'd be upset if she knew I was with you ladies, so let's keep this our little secret." Shiro wasn't Tamaki's apprentice for nothing.
It was only his tenth day, and he was already entertaining eleven women at once. Across the room, Kea groaned, leaning her forehead on her fingers.
"What has he done with that child?" Kea wasn't the only one upset at Shiro's transformation. Tamaki was irritated as well… but for an entirely different reason.
Shiro had stolen all of Tamaki's customers.
"You little brat! What are you doing? Those are my guests!" Shiro looked over the back of the couch, a smug look on his face.
"Heh. Well it looks like they found someone they like better! It's so easy to steal your customers." Shiro's eyes glinted. "I think there's a new Host King in town." Tamaki screamed in rage. Kea bit her lip, choking slash snorting sounds escaping her throat. Hikaru and Kaoru wrapped themselves around Tamaki, trying to hold him back.
"I'd thought he'd make it through without exploding this time!" Kaoru was straining to hold the 2nd year back.
"We should've known he was going to blow up sooner or later!" Hikaru wasn't doing much better than his brother. Kea offered no help, instead relishing in the sight of Tamaki's overabundance of pride backfiring in his face. Kyoya was writing, seemingly oblivious to it all. Haruhi sighed.
"Shiro really does have a lot in common with Tamaki-senpai. I get the feeling that senpai was also a spoiled brat when he was a kid." Tamaki, who was currently ranting in the arms of the twins, stopped. He turned best he could to look at Haruhi.
"I was not a spoiled brat! I was nothing like him when I was a kid! I was a sweet, innocent, precocious, adorable child! You hear me!?" Shiro just chuckled, closing his eyes while smiling and holding up two fingers in the 'Victory' sign. Kea shook her head affectionately at the child. Despite his spoiled demeanor and attitude, Shiro was a rather cute kid.
"Hey, Kea." She looked over at Kyoya, humming softly in questioning. "Did you happen to take a day off of school a couple weeks ago?" She hummed in recollection, tapping a finger on her chin.
"Well, I take every weekend off of school. So… yes. Quite a few actually." Kyoya groaned, letting his head fall. Kea giggled.
"Honestly Kyoya." She walked in front of him, her eyes glinting in amusement. "You take everything too seriously."
"You know what I meant." Kea smirked.
"I know. Which is why you are so easy to tease."
"Oh? How so?" Kea's smirk widened, looking immensely self-satisfied. Kyoya felt a slight twinge of fear in the back of his mind, but he ignored it.
"For example, I know exactly how to make you embarrassed." Kyoya lifted an eyebrow.
"Oh? And how would you go about doing that?"
"Like this." Leaning up, Kea kissed his nose. His cheeks turned bright red at the brief contact. "Told you." Kyoya was frozen as Kea sauntered off, a satisfied sway in her hips as she walked.
It was only once a door closed did he snap out of his daze. Lifting a hand, he clutched his nose. Using his fingers, he started to rub it before remembering that Kea didn't wear makeup. Feeling like a fool, he took a few deep breaths to calm his irratic heartbeat.
'Kea… you are certainly not making this easy. How am I supposed to figure out what you're doing to me when all you do is twist me into different positions I don't want to be in?' Sighing, he shook his head, returning his attention to his book. 'I'll sort everything out when I get home. Right now, I need to focus.'
*/*\*/*\*
Kea grinned to herself as she laid on her bed. Holding the piece of paper above her head, she reread the words that she had already read dozens of times before. Even though what they said was no longer a surprise to her, she still loved reading them. Little giggles echoed around the room.
"Who knew you could be so sweet, Kyoya?" Kea bit her lip, despite her grin growing. "And idiotic." Rolling over, she flattened the paper, trying for the umpteenth time to smooth out the creases.
"Everyone knows you don't throw private thoughts like these away… lest someone read them." Kea finally let her laughter out, burying her face in her pillow. Once her amusement had subsided, she rolled over, looking up at her ceiling.
"Of course… it isn't fair for me to keep this to myself." A blush stained her cheeks. "Hopefully he'll realize that I'm not just teasing him soon. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." She closed her eyes tiredly.
"I don't know how long I'll be able to keep how I feel about him hidden for much longer either."
Translations:
1) Diss my heritage again, and I'll show you what an angry American woman can do, Ootori!
If any of you are otaku like I am, you'll notice that I changed the date from September 3rd to April 3rd. The reason is that I recently realized that the plot of Ouran High School Host Club kind of jumps all over the place during the school year. Unless they skip an entire summer, which would make Haruhi a 3rd year by the time of the season finale, which means that Mitsukuni and Takashi would have graduated two years or so before hand. Since they are integral to the plot of my story, I'm messing with the plotline of the original series a bit. Not too much, mind you. I'm simply rearranging the sequence the episodes take place. that being said, you'll notice things a little out of order.
Hope you enjoyed, and plllleeeeeaaaaassssee review! It really does mean everything to me, and reviews are what give me the drive to write. Thank you all! Much love! Till next time!
