Disclaimer: I own no part of Ouran High School Host Club or Fruits Basket; they belong to Hatori Bisco and Natsuki Takaya, etc.
Chapter Ten: Let The Games Begin
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After School—The First Day of Hosting…
In the hosts' eyes, it was a simple equation: 'Haruhi is a girl' plus 'Haruhi is a commoner' equals 'Haruhi is put in charge of the commoner girls.'
In Haruhi's eyes, it was a simple matter of cowardice.
"As club leader, I'd oversee their orientation myself," Tamaki said apologetically, "but Mamzelle Uotani's violent streak might be aroused again. Not from anything I would do of course, I still can't fathom why she seems to have such a short temper where I'm concerned…"
"We'd love to teach Sohma-hime the ropes—" Kaoru pleaded.
"—but with a bag to my face and shoes to both our heads, our record with her doesn't look too good," Hikaru finished, rubbing the top of his skull in memory.
"I'd love to teach Hana-chan!" Hunny burst out.
Behind Hunny, Mori was vigorously shaking his head at her, motioning his hands in a cutting "No!" movement. Evidently, Hana-chan's waves were not worth the risk.
"Eh…no thanks, Hunny-senpai…"
Thus, Haruhi found herself standing before the five girls, feeling quite awkward at their collective looks, ranging from Kisa's inquisitive tawny-gold gaze to Rin's indifferent starburst stare.
She cleared her throat. "Well…I guess, first off, I need to explain what you'll do during club hours. Based on my understanding of the situation, you'll be waitress-slash-hostesses. You'll be in charge of setting up the snacks and treats for tea, bringing the food around and serving it, and cleaning up the used cups and dishes. And cleaning up the room in general at day's end, but everyone pitches in with that, so don't sweat it…"
Tohru gave a little wave of her hand, catching Haruhi's eye. "You said we'll be hosting too, Haruhi-san?" she chirped. "What precisely are we going to do for that? Does that mean we'll host boys like the rest of you host the girls?"
"Oh, don't worry about that," Haruhi replied, waving her hands soothingly. "You won't have to do that. While girls are waiting for their time slot with one of us to start, you'll chat with them, prevent boredom. Also, Kyouya-senpai said he'd like for you to gather information for him while you chitchat—specific preferences some girls might have, what's the latest trend. He says it will help us decide what events and dress-up days to hold."
Uo-chan cocked a hip and an eyebrow. "So we should add 'espionage' to our list of duties?"
"Basically," Haruhi said bluntly, shrugging apologetically. "It's not hard work, so don't feel overwhelmed. I'll help you all as much as I can."
"Um…I have a question…"
"Go ahead, Honda-san," Haruhi said solicitously.
"I overheard the Hitachiin brothers discussing our duties…and they started wondering what we'd look like in maid outfits…"
Haruhi's eyebrow twitched.
"And I was wondering…we don't really have to wear them, do we? Because—I sincerely beg your pardon if I sound offensive—I don't think Hikaru-san and Kaoru-san were having very polite ideas about maid uniforms."
The vein just above Haruhi's left eye was pulsing furiously.
"Don't worry, Honda-san." She slowly turned to look at the twins nonchalantly chatting nearby. "I will make it my personal mission that none of you will ever, ever be forced into a maid's uniform. Kyouya-senpai, if you'd please take over…"
Kyouya set down the two shopping bags he had been lugging and watched with amusement as the female host prowled toward the twins, looking ready and willing to give them a verbal smackdown.
"Each of you will be given a uniform, and though there is some lace, they're a far cry from maid uniforms, I assure you." He passed a box to each girl and motioned them to the changing rooms.
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All the girls had dressed and exited…except for one. Kyouya smiled softly, certain he knew why Uo-chan hadn't yet put in an appearance.
"Uotani-san, have you finished changing? The club starts soon." Her reply was growl. He chuckled. "May I come in?"
"Do whatever y'damn well please."
Assuming that meant she was decent, he pushed past the curtains.
"My, my, my…don't we look scrumptious."
Arisa fixed her middle finger in a very unflattering position and flashed it. "Suicidal much, Four-Eyes?"
In all honesty, the getup wasn't as god-awful as she had feared. She wore a pair of Ouran's black uniform slacks, a definite plus to her tomboyish nature. Her top was a belted dark blue tunic with wide white lace trimming the skirt, the modest scooped neckline, and the loose three-quarter length sleeves. The dark blue headscarf in her loose blonde mane further ensured that, slacks or no, she wouldn't be mistaken for one of the guys.
But just knowing that this was the uniform he had selected it for her… It felt like he was marking her somehow.
Behold, my little puppet in her costume…
Kyouya did his best to smother a grin as he watched the blonde fidget. When her eyes kept darting back at him, fully aware that he was staring at her, Kyouya couldn't hold back another low chuckle.
"Clam it!" Arisa hissed. She couldn't believe this kid. He dared stroll in here, lean again against the wall, and stare, as though daring her to ask what colossal inside joke he was smiling about. "Remember, I don't have a single obligation to do this, Ohtori! If I leave, you're minus a worker. Might not make a big dent in your pocketbook, but the thought of any money lost would put a kink in your tail, am I right?"
"Oh, but you are obligated, Uotani-san." Kyouya pushed off the wall, hands still in his pockets. "As a friend to Honda-san, you're obliged to stay and make sure she's safe, since she has refused to leave the Sohmas here—a touching gesture. Additionally, you're obligated to see that the boys aren't lead astray by…what was it… 'this pack of pansy-assed Casanova-wannabes' was how you so delicately put it. Amazing, how we easily we tie ourselves up in strings and never realize it.
Besides"—He was standing less than a foot from her now—"might I remind you that your transfer papers have already been processed? You, Honda-san, and Hanajima-san, and are now part of the Ouran student body. The Host Club would be the perfect way to mingle and settle in. Think of it as an after-school activity that just happens to rake in money."
"Kyon and Yuki don't get any money, do they? That's pretty damn unfair," she snapped.
"We're still in negotiations over that," Kyouya said easily. "They'll get their earnings eventually, once the details are smoothed over. It's exasperating how you're viewing this as enslavement, Uotani-san." He paused momentarily to just look at her. Arisa's color was high in her cheeks, her arms crossed as though bracing for some sort of onslaught. And her eyes…well, frankly, they could burn a house down.
…Why was that so alluring?
Her eyes suddenly turned wary. "You're not thinking about yesterday, are you?"
Kyouya jolted from his reverie. "What exactly did I say yesterday?" he snapped. "'Forget it ever happened, and we'll consider that payment for bailing you out of security.' So far as I'm concerned, Uotani-san, Tamaki and I escorted you from the office straight back to the Third Music Room. Straight back."
"Fine by me," Arisa said just as coldly. "Right now, I've got some mingling and settling in to do. That money won't rake in itself."
She marched out without sparing him another glance.
He hissed through his teeth. He caught his reflection in the full-length mirror.
"She'll see what you want her to see, and you'll keep the upper hand," he whispered to the frustrated young man staring back at him. "Better opponents have tried to best you and failed." The Demon Lord gave himself a glare. "She's no match for you."
Bit early for that assessment, chum.
Kyouya shoved away the nagging inner voice, but it persisted.
This whole thing is sure to come back and kick your ass to the dust, General. To the dust…
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"So you're going to stop being so perverted around them, right?"
"Yeah, yeah…"
"Hikaru—"
"You busted our eardrums already, we get the message!"
"One word from them, just one word and I'll—"
"We'll tone it down, okay," Kaoru said placatingly. "Just don't yell, Haruhi, it's painful…"
"What's with the mother-hen act?" Hikaru looked curiously at her.
"Well, it is pretty much my fault the Sohmas are bound to the club, isn't it? The least I can do is make sure the girls don't become your new playthings."
"Haaaru-chaaan is jeeeaaaalouuus…" came Hikaru's sing-song mutter.
"What's to envy?"
"Damn, that's harsh, Haruhi!"
"Just being logical. If I was jealous of them, I wouldn't be blasting out your eardrums, would I?"
Kisa's appearance diverted their attention, causing Haruhi to say, "You look adorable, Kisa-chan." Haruhi elbowed Hikaru and stared pointedly, reminding him of his earlier attitude with the younger girl.
"Oh, yeah, I'm glad we picked a color that worked for you. Really brings out your hair and eyes."
Kisa blinked in surprise. "You picked my uniform out?" She tugged her tunic's skirt out wide to better inspect the muted amber-gold hue. Except for the colors, her uniform was identical to Uo-chan's, as were all the girls'.
"Kyouya-senpai picked the design and commissioned us to make them, but we chose the color schemes."
Kisa flushed and smiled at the twins. "Thank you very much." As she pattered away, Tohru came up (clad in soft pink), smiling also.
"Thank you for being so kind to her. A while back, children at school teased her for her unusual coloring. It was wonderful of you to say you wanted to 'bring it out' when she wasn't proud of it before."
"Teased her?" The Hitachiins stared at each other in confusion. "We have bright coloring but no one's teased us about it."
"No one would've dared, unless they wanted two little devils making their lives hell," Haruhi muttered dryly.
Nutcases, the pack of them. Rin, who had kicked back and watched Haruhi verbally whittle the twins to pieces with some amusement, sighed, uncrossing and re-crossing her killer legs. I should eat…
She briefly toyed at a packet of crackers on the coffee table beside her and crumbled a cracker to dust, trying to summon interest. When none appeared, Rin gave up and frowned down at her uniform, a sultry red color.
…but the thought of chatting it up with pampered airheads is killing my appetite.
"Rin-san?"
Rin started when Tohru suddenly popped up beside her. "What?"
"You were looking over at us strangely…"
Rin hesitated, wondering if she could really be picky about confidantes. She (quietly, discreetly) liked the Honda girl, so did she really wanted to burden her with dark observations? On the other hand, though a slight airhead, she wasn't flighty at all, but probably the steadiest person Rin had ever met. Perhaps because Tohru was the most naïve one in the group, Rin should alert her that things weren't quite right…
"I heard them talking about the uniforms with Kisa. They said Ohtori commissioned them. The guys just use their school uniforms for hosting, but to have our waitress uniforms today, he had to have known before we even got here that we'd be dragged into this club."
Rin looked over her shoulder to where Kyouya and Tamaki were talking. "I don't trust him. I've talked with Kisa and…Haru…briefly…and from what I can tell, Ohtori knew about our curse long before Kyo knocked into Fujioka."
"What should we do, Rin-san?"
"Nothing." Rin glided off, the tail ends of her dark red headscarf trailing behind her, entwining with the black ropes of her hair.
"For now."
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With a loud clap, Tamaki's hands came together enthusiastically as he grinned like a madman. "So, my friends…are you ready for your first day as hosts?"
The Sohmas stared back blankly. After sitting through a half-hour of tips on how to cajole shy maidens, brighten conversation, B.S. one's way through a topic one has zilch understanding of, and how to set a flipping teacup down with poise and grace, it was uncertain if the Sohma boys were even conscious.
"OKAY! We're ready to roll! We seven shall get into our usual positions at the front; Sohmas, spread yourselves to either side of the entrance! Waitresses, please be on alert, we're opening the doors!"
Arisa nudged Kyo. "Ready to become a celebrity, Kyon-Kyon?" she said with an annoying grin.
"I'm about to waste my afternoon listening to a flock of girls gab, and praying to any powers that be that I don't get molested," Kyo growled. His hand ran through his hair agitatedly, mussing it so it resembled a spitting-mad cat's back. "Just how ready do ya think I am?"
"Relax, if I spot any chicks getting grabby with ya, I'll step in. 'Ooh, why don't you try these wonderful crumpets?' 'We just got this special brand of tea, try some!' I've taken pity on plenty of customers back at the restaurant whose blind dates try to invade their personal bubbles."
"You're makin' it sound like I'm some princess who needs her virtue protected."
"Things can get dangerous with the opposite sex, Kyon. Guys aren't the only ones with hormones. Besides, I did make a good prince," Arisa said smugly, referencing the "Almost-Cinderella" play their class had put on back at Kaibara.
"I was a prince too, smart aleck!"
"My prince was better than yours, or do you not remember acting the part of Prince PMS?"
"At least I didn't start screaming at the crowd like I was high on something! If Hanajima could wear an effing mourning gown to the ball, why couldn't I be pissed at being at the ball!?"
Tohru and Haruhi gingerly began to lead Kyo away; Kyouya gripped Uo-chan's wrist and did likewise.
At the doors, she finally shook his hand off. "Stop dragging me around!"
"Then stop acting so childishly," he hissed.
Tamaki gestured at Haru and Momiji. "When I give the signal, please open the doors!"
Next to Haru, Yuki whispered, "I don't suppose you're prepared?"
"It's not so bad." Haru shrugged. "At least Rin will be forced to be in the same room as me. And you never know: I don't want to be petty and make her jealous, but if she sees me with so many girls, she might want to keep close to me. You?"
"If it keeps our curse secret, we have no choice. But I'm scared."
Haru glanced at him.
"Think about it: For the next few hours, we'll be surrounded by girls. If one of us runs into a girl now…Gods help us…"
"Positions, people! TEN!"
"I'd adopt a more amiable attitude in the next ten seconds, Uotani-san."
"And why would I do that?" Arisa sneered.
"SEVEN!"
"Oh dear, Haruhi didn't inform you? Well, my instructions were rather hasty. The waitresses be on rotation doing the various chores, keeping customers occupied, working in the back room—but some will be assigned to wait on a specific host's customers."
A puzzled glare formed on her face. Then she froze.
"THREE!"
"That's right. You're assigned to me."
"ONE!"
Haru and Momiji pulled the doors wide.
This will be the most fun I've had in a long while, Kyouya thought as he looked down into Arisa's stricken face.
"WELCOME!" came the club's chorus.
Another day of hosting had begun.
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Tamaki had explained the hosts' "types" before, and though it had sounded strange, the Sohmas didn't think much of it.
Seeing the Host Club in action was an entirely different matter.
"Why so downcast, gentle maiden?" In a well-used move, Tamaki toyed with a long lock of his client's cinnamon-hued hair. "Such pretty green eyes shouldn't be on the floor, but lifted towards the sun in happiness and cheer."
The girl blushed. "My-my grade in Beginner's French isn't as high as it should be, Tamaki-sama. I'm a first-year, and hoped to be fluent in the language by the time I graduated. But-but if I don't raise my grade, I'm afraid they won't let me move to the higher courses…"
"I'm sure I could call on a few favors and get you a tutor, my dear. Though if you'd like, you could come to the club each day, and I'll teach some words." He slowly leaned in. " 'Amour'… 'désir'… 'embrassade'…"
"Ta-Tamaki-sa-sama…!"
"I don't see why you have trouble grasping the language of love," Tamaki whispered, kissing the lock of hair twirled around his finger. "From your pretty blushes, I think you know precisely what I'm saying!"
The pair of girls seated across from them tried unsuccessfully to muffle their squeals. The green-eyed girl just stared at the French boy in rapture.
Just a few feet away, Rin and Arisa leaned against a tea cart and stared disbelievingly.
"Pardon me while I lose my lunch."
"It's amazing how similar our views are," Rin muttered back.
"Did you see the third-years?"
"Yes. The response that Haninozuka kid gets is amazing; he's so adorable it's creepy. I pity Morinozuka."
"I get the impression he'll do most anything his cousin wants; Fujioka said something about their families once having a master-servant relationship before they intermarried a couple generations back."
"That makes sense. "
"How are the imps?"
Rin aura soured immediately. "Don't even start. They're really into their brotherly love routine."
"Brotherly love? You mean they show off how well they get along?"
"Not quite," Rin grumbled, and jerked her thumb behind them at her assigned hosts. "They're very intense about it…"
"…So I had to half carry him over to the infirmary," Hikaru said, "since he looked about ready to faint."
"It was your fault for wanting to play catch in that heat!" Kaoru pouted. "I warned about heatstroke, but nooo—"
"You weren't complaining when you got on the bed."
Their four clients demonstrated the domino effect, leaning forward with eager faces. "What happened?" they cried.
"Hikaru!" Kaoru mock whispered. "Don't be so indiscreet!"
"You wanted the sponge bath!"
"You wanted to play doctor!"
"KYAAAAAAAAAAA!!" the girls gushed.
Arisa rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised at the act itself, but I can't say I'm surprised that those two are doing it. They haven't tried to hit on you at all?"
"A couple of times. When they started on the pick-up lines, I started slicing cake."
Uo-chan stared blankly.
"With a sharp knife."
"Ahhhhh…."
"How's Ohtori?"
"You mean the Four-Eyed Bastard? Still snide, still an ass."
"It's probably best you got assigned to him. Can you imagine Honda with him?"
Uo-chan's blood pressure rose at the thought. "Good point. Hana would fry his ass in five minutes, heads would roll if he'd tried to get Kisa, and let's not talk about what you'd do to him… I guess he calculated things nicely when he picked me. I'm glad Ohtori put Tohru with Fujioka, but God, I wish I'd gotten assigned to her."
"Don't we all?"
"Uotani-san."
Arisa stiffened. "Speaking of Satan…"
"Uotani-san, we need the tea, please."
Haruhi had told Arisa that Kyouya didn't host as much as the others, preferring to handle the club's accounts and upcoming events instead. From the pleasure Kyouya was having, Arisa deduced his decision to socialize today was not because of the clients' company, but for the enjoyment of bossing her around.
Kyouya eyed the teacart casually as she pushed it toward him. "It'd be a shame if the tea was cold by now, Uotani-san."
It'd be a shame if I smashed your glasses. Arisa fumed silently, her teeth chomping down on her lip while she silently poured the drinks. Keep cool, Uotani, you've served plenty of jerk-offs before at the restaurant.
Despite the little irks and quirks of the Host Club, things were going rather well.
It had been decided that the new hosts should stick with the founding hosts for a while until they got the hang of the business. Hatsuharu and Momiji were with Huni and Mori. Momiji had a great rapport with Huni, and delighted the clients with his fluency in German. Haru quietly charmed the ladies with his ability to coax Mori into brief conversations ("Hatsuharu-kun and Mori-sama are true kindred spirits, aren't they?") and the whimsical tales he'd tell with a far-away look on his face.
"Once, I walked from home, intending to challenge my cousin Kyo to a warrior's battle…he'd skipped the New Year's celebration, you see…but somehow, his address slipped from my mind…and when I tried to retrace my footsteps back home…the streets twisted into unfamiliar places…"
"Weren't you lost, Haru?" Momiji piped up.
"…No."
Hiro had tried begging off hosting; Tamaki had compromised with him, saying that if he was that uncomfortable sitting down with clients (who were all quite older than him), he could stick with Kisa and keep occupied the girls waiting for their turn with the club.
"So they're letting middle schoolers into the club?"
"Um…not exactly. Most of the new members are our cousins, and we wanted to hang out with them after school, so the club let us in," Hiro fibbed.
Kisa tugged on Hiro's hand. "That girl over there looks lonely, Hiro-chan. Let's go talk with her! Excuse us, Inoue-san!"
Giggles followed them. "Aren't they adorable? Little sweethearts!"
Yuki, as another princely type, found himself tag-teamed with Tamaki.
"Are you adjusting to Ouran well, Sohma-kun?"
"It's-it's a big change, miss, but I'm finding there are plenty of friendly, welcoming people." Yuki smiled gently, sending more than one heart pounding.
"Looks like things are going smoothly, more or less," Kyo muttered to Haruhi from their patch of the room.
"You were expecting the seven rings of hell, Kyo-san?"
"I've already told ya, call me Kyo. I'm not much one for honorifics."
Haruhi grinned. "Most of the girls who come here are good-hearted, looking for some fun conversation. Some are genuinely lonely. If you'll give them a chance, you might like talking with them. Plenty of them will giggle, but few are so bold that they'd maul you."
Kyo had the grace to look ashamed. "Have my feelings been that obvious?"
"Not really; I just pick up on things, that's all." Haruhi sipped her tea. "But the girls are pretty hesitant to talk with you; try relaxing, and they'll do the same. Oh, and thank you for the tea, Honda-san."
"My pleasure, Fujioka-san!" Tohru pushed a small plate of cookies before the two. "And please, call me Tohru."
"Then you should call me Haruhi, Tohru-kun."
Kyo found himself surprisingly at ease. No fights had broken out, no screaming matches or dramatic incidents. He didn't feel nearly as cagey as he had thought he would. I bet it's because of Haruhi, he mused. Kinda funny how she exposed our secret, but I like her the best. She's the only one who's not a nutcase.
"More tea, Kyo-kun?"
"Thanks, Tohru." He couldn't help but look at her as she poured. "You look good in that."
Tohru blushed pink to match her rose-colored uniform. For a split second, their eyes locked—
"Th-thank you! I should get the cart back to the preparation room!" She spun and skittered away.
Why is my heart pounding? It's just Kyo-kun. You've looked at Kyo-kun plenty of times before. Nothing about him is different.
A vision of orange hair came to her eyes—a fiery mane, golden eyes, a face that had gotten so handsome—
Nothing at all.
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Why wouldn't the twins shut up?!
Arisa felt her own personal hell had arrived in the form of the Hitachiins continuing their infirmary room story.
"I wouldn't give Kaoru a sponge bath—no matter what he said, he didn't have heatstroke—but I figured while we there, we could play doctor and patient."
"The stethoscope was so cold against my chest, Hikaru!"
Arisa's knuckles turned white from her death grip on the cart. Memories from yesterday slithered into her mind, no matter how much she resisted.
"I'm sorry I didn't warm it—I was just so eager to hear your beloved heartbeat."
Her heart thumped against her chest. He didn't hold her wrists tightly—there were actually quite gentle—but for the life of her, she couldn't pull away—
"And then I took his pulse—"
She was afraid he'd feel her pulse. His fingers traced her wrists—Is he even aware he's doing it?—and if he pressed, he'd know it was humming a mile a minute, pounding—
"—and it was pounding."
"We'd just finished playing catch, Hikaru!"
Arisa's eyes roamed the room looking for something, anything, to distract her.
C'mon, c'mon, anything!
He was staring at her.
Kyouya Ohtori was staring at her with the hatred reserved for criminals…and the fire reserved for lovers.
Jesus Christ.
Kyouya rose from the couch, ignoring the girl talking to him, and brushed past Arisa. Making a beeline for the twins' corner, he caused passersby to part like the Red Sea from the thunderous look on his face.
"Kaoru, Hikaru."
The Hitachiins' teasing tones died like snowflakes in a heat wave.
"Lower your voices. You're distracting others."
Arisa didn't wait to hear their reply, if any. She pushed a cart loaded with dirty dishes as though her life depended on it, aiming directly for the prep room. The door met the cart with a loud thump.
"Where's the fire, Arisa?"
She turned to see Hana perched on a stool before the large sink and drying racks. One hand was using a fork to work through a slice of marble cake; the other held a paperback novel.
Arisa eyed three carts standing ignored, piled high with used dishes and teacups.
"Aren't you supposed to be washing dishes?"
"Yes."
"And you're reading a book."
"Yes."
"…One of Shigure Sohma's books?"
"Yes."
"…Do I wanna know why?"
"They're actually quite elegantly written, once you get past the smut."
"Nevermind." Arisa glanced over at Tohru, leaning against the wall. "Something wrong, Tohru?"
Tohru met her eyes, a blush still staining her cheeks. "N-no, Uo-chan…"
A rare smile, a deep laugh as the wind ruffled his sunrise hair.
"…nothing at all." Tohru took in her friend's wide eyes, her heavy breathing. "Are you all right, Uo-chan?"
His breath puffing softly across her face…She dared look up, and a mad impulse seized her to set them on his head…Could she see him more clearly if she could just remove them, just set those damn glasses atop his head—
"'Course I'm fine. Why would I be otherwise?"
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Please Read! Important Information!
Sheherazade's Blah Blah Blah
Hello! First off, thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone who's reviewed/alerted/favorited! I hope you liked the chapter! For the longest time, I couldn't touch this chapter, I wasn't sure how to handle the Juunishi Gang's first day as hosts. We had a snow day (Monday, March 31), an utter surprise. Last Thursday everyone wanted a snow day…but we had school…and we were all ready to mutiny. (We really wanted a snow day!) I took this as a sign that I should make the final push and finish this chapter, then polish it for posting.
Are you all surprised at the relationships going on? Well, Tohru and Kyo are no surprise (I like them!), but…Kyouya and Arisa…yeah. They were a total bolt from the blue. When I started thinking of ideas and scenarios for this fanfic, very early on (the second or third chapter I think, if not earlier) I felt that these two had an attraction for each other. I thought I'd gone slightly bonkers, but I couldn't dismiss it. They're so different, backgrounds and all, but they're both strong-willed and passionate. Yeah, I think Kyouya can be passionate; isn't there a saying about the quiet ones being tigers underneath?
I hope no one is unhappy, since they're from two separate series and all. I'm just sorta going where I feel things should go, no definite structure. I have many ideas about adventures the Juunishi and the Host Club can get into, though, rest assured!
And if some of you remember, I mentioned in the first chapter that this story would be between such and such chapters in the Furuba manga…yeah, that's kinda getting tossed out the window! I want to stick with canon as much as possible, but the way things are going, I can't 100 percent stick with the manga! You might've already picked that up from my reference in this chapter to Cinderella play. I'll have to change some things in future, I think, to give me more breathing room for my ideas. I should've expected this; there's no way I can be completely faithful to the manga, since the Furuba manga doesn't have the Host Club in it.
Next chapter, I'm planning on a recap of this mysterious infirmary incident that Kyouya's so adamant about Arisa forgetting!
QUESTIONS (Yes, I finally remember to answer them!)
Little Ginny15: Hope this chapter answers your question.
KairiTwin: Hana can run; in my opinion, she was just faking a collapse to get out of running for gym class. I love Hana, but she can be so lazy.
madwriterontheloose: Yes, Kyouya's name should be spelled either Kyouya Ootori or Kyoya Ohtori…but…I liked spelling his name Kyouya Ohtori, it just looks good to me. (realizes this is a pathetic excuse)