Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club. This amazing series rightfully belongs to Bisco Hitori. If I did, I'd be rich enough to attend Ouran! But I'm just a commoner who enjoys writing fanfiction.
Chapter 10
"Wait, you actually agreed to his request?" her mother gasps, eyes wide as she loses her grip on her pen. Her father had to duck otherwise the pen would've impaled him. "My daughter's finally going on a date with someone?!"
Her father is slowly sinking in his chair, a ghostly pale, muttering incoherently under his breath. She isn't sure if that reaction is from the flying pen or her dating. She cowers under her mother's hopeful stare, mimicking her father and slouching in her seat. Her mother clears her throat, hiding her face behind her navy blue fan. Kanade fights the urge to roll her eyes but obliges to her mother's wishes and sits upright.
"It's just a few dates, mother," she whispers harshly.
"I never thought I'd live to see this day!" Her mother's actually sobbing, blowing her nose on her face palms. She never knows whose reactions were conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open. The trio whirl around at the noise.
"Oh, Fujishima-sama!" Akito peaks through the doorway with a grin on his face. "I'm sure you know why I'm here right?"
It's quiet for a moment before her parents wordlessly leave the table and sprint out of the room.
Akito groans and bows his head, "I wish your parents would stop doing that, Kanade-chan," he whines."
"You should know mother by now," Kanade shrugs. She pats his shoulders sympathetically.
"Word has it that you're having relationship problems," Akito says, smiling innocently.
"Did my mother tell you about that?" She raises her eyebrows.
"Actually, no, your father did but your mother did look especially giddy today, " he answers with a thoughtful look on his face.
"What should I do, Akito?" she asks, leaning forward eagerly waiting for his advice.
"You have to get them to agree on something," Akito whispers as if he's telling her a secret only they should know. "something that they both have in common!"
"Are you sure that'll work?"
"Of course!" Akito nods his head vigorously. "It certainly worked for my wife and I."
"Hmm. Something that they both agree on. She'll have to remember that for later.
"What do you both agree on?"
"Well, we both like curry buns so we always stop at a bakery every Sunday," he says cheerfully.
She wordlessly walks out of the room.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"I'm going to practice!" she smiles, poking her head through the door way.
"I'm telling the truth, Kanade!" he protests, "those curry buns are really good!"
"Sure thing, Akito!" she shouts as she heads into the gardens.
Mamoru asks her to go on a date with him that same night. He's rented a lime for the night and they're sitting inside, exchanging small talk. She's stiff as a board and keeps fiddling with a kitten keychain on her white purse to distract her. It's a small alternative to her violin case. She feels so strange without it.
"Ah, we're here!" Mamoru exclaims. His brown eyes light up with glee as they come to a slow stop.
It's a fancy restaurant that she's heard about but never had the guts to actually go to. She waits for Mamoru to offer his arm as they both got out of the limo but he never does, he doesn't even open the door for her. Her smile falters throughout dinner. How does Aya like him again? As the night progressed, she actually likes him a lot less than she did before and that isn't a whole lot. She hasn't quite forgiven him for getting the whole class in trouble. Her hand is still aching.
The bell rings, alerting everyone that there were new customers approaching. She forgets how to breathe for a moment. What are the odds that Aya and Kyoya would be at the same restaurant as them? She raises her eyebrows, trying to hide behind the menu.
"I just wanted to tell you thank you," Mamoru clears his throat. "for helping me out."
She glances at him from the menu. He looks confused which is a bit understandable. But she catches him openly staring at Kyoya's table. There's actually a small pout on his face. Just before he could reach for her hand, a piece of salad hits him right on his jaw.
He yelps in shock and stands up. They both look around for the culprit but everyone in the restaurant had gone eerily quiet. To her astonishment, a food fight actually breaks out, rendering her speechless especially as some tuna hits her right in her jaw.
She goes to school with a pounding headache. It got worse throughout the day and it didn't help at all when she notices Kyoya at her spot again. Why does she even bother?
"Rough night, Fujishima-chan?"
She has the decency to blush. She tilts her head in his direction, hardly surprised that he doesn't even stop typing
"You have no idea, Kyo-kun," she sighs. "I can't take much more of this."
""I hope you realize that you didn't have to actually answer his request," Kyoya says.
"And why not?" She asks so slowly that Kyoya actually stops typing.
He turns towards her warily, "Tamaki and I have it all under control. He was actually surprised that you agreed."
"Funny," she murmurs. "He said the same thing about you and Aya."
"Well, I should hope not considering I'm not really dating her," Kyoya says so casually that she could've easily missed it.
"W-w-wait, you're not actually dating her?" she asks, frowning.
"Of course not," Kyoya replies, raising his eyebrows. "Didn't Tamaki tell you about the plan?"
"No, he didn't," she grits her teeth./
Why hadn't she been informed of this so called "plan"? She could've easily avoided a terrible night. Her eye twitches as she gapes at him incredulously. To his credit, Kyoya looks just as confused as she did. She's getting a headache again.
"I think I've had enough dates to last a lifetime," she groans, tilting her head back so she's glancing up at the sky.
"I couldn't agree more," Kyoya agrees half heartily. "You looked ridiculous with that tuna hanging on your chin, by the way."
She throws him an incredulous look. He has a pretty good poker face. She'll admit that much. She slouches in her seat, groaning softly. She can't wait until school is over for the day so she can go home and take a long nap.
Why did Kyoya call her over at this hour? She finds herself wandering through the pink halls at about five in the afternoon, heading straight for music room three. It's a bit strange, opening the door and having no flowers thrown at your face. It's a nice change especially since they always manage to get tangled in her hair.
"I don't understand why the plan's not working with this couple!" Tamaki paces around the room so much that it's actually making her dizzy. "They have to be the most stubborn people I've come across and I've met a lot of stubborn people!"
"I think it's 'cause they're both shy, " Kanade offers.
"I understand that and respect your views but there's definitely a huge difference between the two," Tamaki points out. "I just wish I knew how to work with them! What do you think, Kyoya?"
Kyoya merely hugs in response.
"Are you even listening, Kyoya?" Tamaki asks, frowning.
"You might want to come up with a plan now, Tamaki," Kyoya responds. He gets up and closes his laptop. "because Oshiro-senpai is on her way here right now."
"Hah?!" Tamaki yelps. He sweats nervously. "Why couldn't you have mentioned this sooner?!"
A loud knock on the door stops the conversation entirely.
"Um, excuse me?" Aya's timid voice comes from behind the door. "I got a letter saying I should come here."
"Welcome!" Tamaki and Kyoya announce in unison.
Kanade's jaw drops in awe as a bunch of rose petals flutter around the room towards Aya. A large white fan is placed in a dark corner. How do they manage to get so many flowers every single day? She can't even imagine how much they cost. Aya walks in slowly. She fiddles with her pink lace gloves as she approaches them. "Hello, Aya!" Kanade pipes up cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.
"Oh, hello, Kanade-chan," Aya's eyebrow quirks up. "We're you the one who called me over?"
"Actually, I did Aya-hime," Tamaki clears his throat. His violent eyes soften at the look of confusion on the girl's face.
""What's going -?"
"Can you tell me the real reason why you decided to join the host club?" Tamaki asks patiently.
"Well, I-"Aya blushes as she catches Kyoya's eye. "I wanted to-"
"You wanted to get closer to Kyoya, isn't that right?"
"Of course," Aya answers, glancing between the three warily.
"I don't actually love you," Kyoya tells her bluntly. "I never did."
Aya's brown eyes are shining with unshed tears.
That's a little harsh Kyo-kun. Her thoughts must've shown on her face because he raises his eyebrows at her.
"What? Too blunt?" He actually looks a little concerned.
"Just a little," Kanade sighs.
"Wha-I don't under-" Aya stutters.
"Can you say with certainty that you love Kyoya?" Tamaki's eyes are sharp and narrow.
"I do lo-" she stops herself. Her cheeks are a bright red.
"But not in that way, do you?" Tamaki asks softly. "I know he doesn't make you happy."
Aya averts her eyes.
"You're all horrible!" Aya shouts, startling them both. "How could you just use people like that?!"
Her stomach sinks as the older girl's words each in her head. It's like an arrow shot through her heart, numbing her every movement. She doesn't want to lose another one of her friends.
"W-wait Aya -!" she calls to her but a hand stops her from running. She looks up and sees Tamaki standing there with a wistful smile on his face.
"It's alright, Kanade-chan," he tells her. He winks at her. "It's all up to them now."
"Aya-chan!"
The trio all turn towards the person shouting . Even Aya stops at his voice. She whirls around with tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Mamoru is standing on top of the grand staircase, breathing heavily as he runs towards Aya.
Minamoto slips on a banana peel while sprinting down the gold staircase. He cries out, flailing his arms around as he stumbles forward right into Aya who catches him. They fall backwards and his lips press into hers. Everyone freezes in shock as they stare at the kissing couple.
Where on earth did that banana peel come from and why has she been seeing those lying around lately? Someone could get hurt tripping over them! She glances around, trying to seek out the culprit.
Cherry blossoms were swirling around them as they stare into each other's eyes shyly, cheeks red from embarrassment. Wait, where did those come from? She looks around again and sees Tamaki standing in a dark corner with a large fan. He notices her staring and merely grins and gives her two thumbs up. Why isn't she surprised? She resists the urge to face palm.
Wait a second!
She digs for her violin inside her case and places it against her chin. She almost hits Kyoya with her bow but he ducks in time, throwing her a glare. She smiles sheepishly as she plays a few slow, romantic songs she learned as a kid. One of them might've been the love theme from Titanic. The couple in question turn toward her, unimpressed but their cheeks were still tainted red.
"You certainly know how to set the mood, Kanade-chan," Tamaki pipes up as he wanders over towards them. "Those two are in their own little world now."
She's so relieved. She never wants to do this again. Trying to get two people together is just too much work. Though she can't help but notice the longing in Tamaki's eyes as he stares at the kissing couple.
"So neither of us wins after all," Kyoya hums as he writes something down in his notebook. A dark blue and purple aura makes Kanade slowly move away from him. "How utterly disappointing."
"Hmm, what was that, Kyoya?" Tamaki asks, staring at his friend in confusion.
"Nothing, nothing," Kyoya waves a dismissive hand.
"What do we do now, Kyo-kun?" Kanade asks as she concentrates on her performance. "I don't think they actually said it out loud yet."
""I apologize, Fujishima-chan," Kyoya says, "It was a simple miscalculation on my part."
"Hah?! Kyo-kun? Fujishima- chan?" Tamaki repeats, placing an arm in front of him protectively. His violet eyes are wide with shock. Kyoya tenses at the nickname and glares at him.
Tamaki whirls around with tears in his eyes and sulks in a corner. He's muttering something under his breath about how "Mommy betrayed Daddy with someone else." What did that even mean? Tamaki sure had a strange imagination.
"Is he alright? Should I say something?" she asks, giving Tamaki a concerned look.
"No, don't mind him, Fujishima-chan," Kyoya sighs. "He's just being an idiot again. Come on, let's leave the lovebirds alone. Incidentally, when did you bring your violin?"
"Hmm?" she tilts her head in confusion like a puppy. She pulls her bow away from the violin as she turns towards him. "I always have my violin with me."
"You wouldn't be 'you' without it, I suppose," Kyoya muses, folding his arms across his chest as he thinks it over. Amusement is dancing in his onyx eyes.
She isn't sure if she should be offended by that or not.
"What is that supposed to mean, Kyo-kun?" she asks with a sugary sweet smile.
"Nothing, Fujishima-chan," he gives her his "host" smile. "I'm simply stating a fact is all.
Somehow, she doesn't believe him.
"Oh, Tamaki," he calls over the blond who perks up and whirls around, with wide, hopeful eyes. "Didn't you say you needed to talk to me about host club matters? Something about a new cosplay idea?"
"Right!" Tamaki immediately gets up from spot. He smiles at Kanade and kisses her hand. "It was such a pleasure helping you out, miss Kanade."
She can't help but blush at the attention.
"O-oh, thank you for helping us, Tamaki-kun," she stutters and bows respectfully. "I'm sorry we dragged you into this."/p
"Oh no, it was fun," Tamaki grins at her. He glances over at the couple. There's almost a longing expression in his eyes. "It was all for their happiness, wasn't it?"
She glances over at the couple. They were in their own little world, smiling at each other, unaware of the people around them. She can't help but smile. She may not like how the host club run things, but she admires their devotion to help people. Maybe...just maybe...being in the host club isn't that bad after all. It's certainly a good way to pass the time.
"Hey, by the way, do you think you can tell me what you felt when you saw Kyoya with her?" Tamaki asks out of the blue. She turns toward him in confusion.
"I'm not sure what you mean, Tamaki-kun," she answers, raising her eyebrows. Tamaki hums in reply, looking lost in thought. Then he turns towards her and smiles lopsidedly.
"Let's just say I know something you don't," Tamaki says, winking at her.
That's awfully vague and unsettling. How can Tamaki be so oblivious yet so wise and observant at the same time?
"Oh by the way, Tamaki -kun, " she smiles sweetly but sets him on fire in her mind. He must've noticed because he backs away slowly, sweating nervously. "Why didn't you tell me about this so called plan of yours?"
"Uh, well you see, " Tamaki stammers. "I had to because- Kyoya! Wait for me!"
He sprints out of the room faster than she can blink. She sighs heavily. She'll let it slide for receives a karate chop to the back of her head. She whirls around and a genuine smile spreads across her cheeks when she sees Mamoru's arm around Aya's waist. He catches her teasing eye and looks away with a blush on his face.
"Don't think I don't know what you did, Kanade-chan," Aya gives her a pointed look.
She smiles sheepishly at the ravenette, "It was Kyo-kun's idea!"
Her new friends didn't believe her lie, of course.
A/N: So...um...well, this is awkward *sweats nervously*. Err...Hi? I apologize for the delay! Life gets hectic sometimes! I have no excuse! Big thank yous to: Lady Morgana Shire, Amarenima Redwood, and Snowki for your reviews and special thanks to those who faved and followed!
Lady Morgana Shire: Definitely! I swear Tamaki's always up to something :O Oh, I see! I actually have not heard of that yet! I'll have to look into it!
Amarenima Redwood: Thank you! I honestly love it when he schemes XD Oh, that's so cool! How far have you gotten into it? :D
Snowki: Sure thing! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
As always, thank you so much for reading!