A/N: It looks like I have to make an apology! All this time, I thought there were asterisks acting as page breaks between scenes. I even checked on the 'Live Preview' and they were there; but I just noticed this morning they haven't been appearing. . Sorry if it was hard to read. That said, please enjoy this chapter with breaks-I-hope-will-appear. This is pretty much the end of what I would consider 'part two'. Time for things to change.
Disclaimer: I neither own Ouran, or anything else mentioned in this chapter that comes under copywrite. Obviously. Also, spelling it 'copywright' is probably a bad sign I'm too obsessed with a certain game... (ahem)
Chapter Ten- Evening Dress
"...But come ye back when summer's in the meadow, or when the valley's hushed and white with snow..."
Kaoru woke to the sound of amateur singing, which told him immediately that Ellie was in the kitchen, which meant it must be almost be time for breakfast. He rolled out of bed and went to get dressed, half-listening to her singing 'Danny boy' to herself. It seemed like a weird choice of song, but he had to admit the sweeter, sadder style suited her voice far better than any of the power ballads he'd heard her belting out before. They were set up in a two bedroom flat in the centre of London, that were available to hire for short city breaks. He was used to sleeping in his house, in the extensive grounds, or more recently in the middle of nowhere in the English countryside, which had made it hard for him to sleep over the noise of the busy London roads. Where did so many people have to go at night? Even now, the whoosh of passing cars was constant, the old Irish tune mingling with it and sounding rather out of place. Still, he had only ever heard it on American and British TV shows, and only ever in funeral scenes. How depressing. Time to go shut her up.
"Oi, Grey-chan." He said, marching into the kitchen, pretending to be annoyed. "Your morbid song choice woke me up."
She grinned cockily at him, serving another full English breakfast onto a plate for him, not missing a beat. "If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me, I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me." She finished dramatically, giving a mock bow as she put the plate down before him. He applauded sarcastically.
"Sleeping in peace sounds good to me." Kaoru said. "Between your cat-strangling and the traffic, I barely slept at all."
She laughed, clearly in a good mood and then seemed to think of something. She sat down opposite him at the table, saying as she did "From the East of his small emerald island, he always comes back, groggily, groggily, comes back to sands of a grey metallic soar, to surge of wheels, to dull North circular roar." She giggled again and said "But that's all I can remember."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kaoru sighed. "You're totally incomprehensible, you know."
She laughed again, warmly. "Sorry, Kaoru-san. It's a poem I had to study at school."
"Right. Eat your breakfast. What have I told you about crash dieting?"
"Yes sir." She chuckled, biting into the bacon butty she had favoured over the full English. He couldn't help but smile. She was always cheerful, but today she was excelling herself. She must just be enjoying herself, glad to be here in London with him. For a moment Kaoru was mentally congratulating herself for making such a difference who, just a few weeks before when he had arrived, had been crying every night. Then he heard her mobile buzz, and her smile widened as she picked it up to read. This was the first time he recalled anyone texting her. She had the phone just for emergencies, or so she had said; and his couldn't get a signal in this country. He had a good suspicion who would be texting her, too, and cut into his bacon more savagely than was really necessary.
"Kaoru-san," She said. "I was telling Greg about our trip to St Ives. He wants to know if you solved the 'I met a man...' puzzle yet."
She looked happy, because of the text. She also looked amused, because she knew he hadn't.
"You know, Grey-chan," He said, rudely. "You shouldn't just fall for someone because they're the first to show an interest."
For a moment, he thought one of his insults had actually hit its target, but as usual the moment passed and he realised it had completely gone over her head.
"That's true." She nodded. "Does that mean you've decided about Victoria?"
Kaoru sighed, getting up. "I'm going to watch TV." He brushed her off, going into the living room of the flat and flopping down on the settee. She could obviously tell he was mad, because he heard the sounds of her washing up without the usual sounds of her singing.
"Kaoru-san." She said, entering the lounge a few moments later. "I'm going to shower, and then why don't we go and see some of the sights?"
"Sure." He said, unable to look at her. Already he was feeling guilty. Greg had turned out not to be such a villain after all. But still, a twenty year old with someone who was sixteen... He sighed uncomfortably, and changed channel.
After the sound of the shower stopped and he heard her coming out, he turned, expecting her to have got dressed in the tiny bathroom. However, she hadn't and was wrapped tightly in a long towel, that covered her down past her knees. Still, she was hurrying back to her room, trying to get out of sight. Kaoru, who was used to seeing his mother's models walking around in nothing more modest than bikinis, wasn't going to let her go that easily. He jumped nimbly over the sofa, looking her up and down in surprise.
"Where were you hiding those?!" He demanded.
"W-what?" She stammered, pulling the towel protectively closer to her chest. "Kaoru-san, I was hardly hiding them, I just didn't- oh." The 'oh' was in realisation as, apparently entranced, he tugged at the curl that had appeared in her wet hair. "It happens when my hair is wet, I don't know why but it goes curly. It always straightens out by the time it's brushed and dried."
Kaoru's eyes widened at this sin, and he pushed her into his room.
"Ahh! Hey!"
"Put this on." He said, tossing her a complimentary dressing gown from the bathroom, before closing the door and waiting impatiently. When she was done, Kaoru barged back in, forced her into the room's chair, and set to work. She wondered why he even had hair spray and anti-frizz stuff and who knew what else with him, but then thought it probably explained why his hair always looked perfect. Besides, by the time he was done carefully drying and spraying, she had a beautiful hairstyle, lightly curled.
"I could have done better if I'd had more to work with." Kaoru sighed. "But with what's available, I guess that went pretty well."
"It looks so nice..."
"Yeah." He sighed. "But now you're going to go and ruin it by wearing clothes that are years old and two sizes too big for you."
"There's no point replacing them if they're still fine..." She protested weakly, but Kaoru wasn't going to put up with it.
"We're in London!" He said. "We're going clothes shopping! Designer clothes shopping!"
"But... our sight-seeing..." She protested weakly.
"If I want to see Big Ben, I'll watch the TV." Kaoru dismissed. "Besides, we still have tomorrow. Now go get some clothes on."
"Kaoru-san, with the company in trouble, I really can't afford to spend thousands on clothes..."
"If it'll get you out of your usual scruffy outfits, I don't mind paying." Kaoru dismissed. "It's starting to get on my nerves. You're supposed to be the child of an up-and-coming designer and you dress like a country bumpkin. My mom would have disowned you by now, yours must be totally ashamed seeing you dressed like that."
He was teasing and she knew it from his tone, but something must have struck a chord because she followed his orders without further protest.
Getting her a new wardrobe was a harder process than he thought. There was always some problem with what he picked out for her to try on. Sometimes she protested that she didn't like the colour, although he was surely the better judge, others that it would be too revealing even when it would cover her completely. Mostly she protested that it was too expensive, not wanting him to spend so much on her- even when he pointed out that she had been paying for all his train fares, hotels, food and various activities. Eventually, he steered her into a cafe and once they were drinking tea he finally managed to get to the real root of the problem.
"It's just..." She said, playing with the spoon in her saucer, "Everything you're picking out is designed for pretty girls. You know. Thin girls."
Kaoru looked at her but said nothing, so she continued. "M-mom always told me the most important rule of looking good is to dress according to what suits your shape, so..."
"You idiot!" Kaoru snapped, standing suddenly as she trailed off. "Have you not looked in a mirror the last year?!"
"Well, of course, but-"
"Come on." He said, exasperated, grabbing her wrist and pulling him after her, breaking into a run as they left the cafe. "I'll show you!"
"Kaoru-san!" She protested. "Stop!"
"No! Not if you're going to be so stupid!"
"But Kaoru-san, you don't understand-!"
"Yes I do! You haven't lost your fat-girl mentality!"
"It's not that, it's just that I haven't paid for the tea yet!"
"Oh." Kaoru considered, looking back over his shoulder. They had already gone some distance from the cafe. "Better run faster, then!"
They covered some distance around the streets of London before Kaoru found what he was looking for- a formal tailors shop, which made outfits to measure. He dragged her, protesting, inside.
"Can I help you?" A member of staff, dressed in an expensive suit, asked disdainfully as he looked at the two teenagers. He was already glancing at security, expecting that they would have to remove these trespassers in their exclusive world. Fortunately, Kaoru was used to dealing with people like this.
"My name is Kaoru Hitachiin." He said. The words were like magic, and suddenly they were being shown to seats on a deep leather settee, being offered drinks and refreshments. Ellie looked somewhat uncomfortable, but if Grace Grahams got much bigger she would have to get used to this too. Then again, Grace Grahams would probably always be a high-street designer. Hitachiin produced designer wear for their stores, but also produced designs for made-to-measure clothes for the elite, just the sort of thing that would be used in a store like this. A few moments later, after he had made his wishes clear, Ellie was whisked away to be measured and Kaoru was left to his own devices. He occupied himself in looking at the examples of their work, his eye caught by a dark blue evening dress. It was very simple, but as he ran a critical eye over it he could see the cleverness of the design. It was designed to accentuate the natural beauty of the wearer rather than distracting from it, but it would be no use for Ellie. She didn't have the curves, really. But next to it was another evening dress, one that looked more childish and more old fashioned. The bodice was simple and white, connected to the skirt by a thin bit of gold ribbing. Below it, the colour changed ever so slightly, to something that was almost peach or pink. Here and there were tiny white beads, sewn in with gold thread, to make tiny flowers. It was a dress hardly anyone could pull off, but on Ellie, he was sure...
"Oh, I agree, sir, that would look wonderful on your girlfriend." The assistant twittered.
"No it wouldn't." Kaoru shook his head. "The blue one would be better on her."
Then he realised, he had been thinking of Victoria. The man had meant Ellie.
"Oh! No, Ellie's not my girlfriend! I'm just trying to repay her for letting me stay with her." He looked again at the dress. He bet she didn't have any suitable evening wear. "But... when you have her measurements, will you make her one of these?"
"Of course, sir." The man said cheerily. "It will be ready for you to collect in a few days. I'm sure the lady will be thrilled."
"Can you deliver?" Kaoru asked, and on receiving an affirmative, gave them Ellie's address, back in the middle of nowhere outside a small village named Bromyard. Then he thought of Victoria and what she would make of it. "And it has to be secret!"
"Of course, sir." He agreed. "Would you like to pay now or later?"
"I'll pay now." Kaoru said, feeling somewhat guiltily. He hadn't exactly been treating Victoria well, going off on a trip to avoid her until he was sure. He looked at the blue dress again. "Oh... and could you make one of these too? I'm not sure of the exact measurements, but a size 8 should be fine. That needs to go to another address, though." He gave them Victoria's address, and paid.
"If these dresses are gifts, sir, would you like a message put in with them?"
"Oh... no, it doesn't matter." Kaoru said. "I'll be around when they arrive."
"Very good, sir." The man said. "We'll- consult with your mother and see if she has any new ideas."
Kaoru was confused at this non-sequiter until he turned and realised Ellie had returned. She looked embarrassed but bewildered, looking at the copy of her measurements she had been given.
"Well?" Kaoru demanded.
"Well, they did it, but I don't really understand..."
Kaoru looked at the paper, and ran some calculations in his head. In Japan, she'd be around a size 13, which would make her a ten in the USA, which would mean more-or-less a 12 in UK sizes. Either way it was a happy medium. She squeaked in surprise when he told her.
"A twelve?!" She said. "I've never been a twelve!"
"You might even get into a ten, depending on the make." Kaoru said, flicking her in the head. "So now maybe you can stop starving yourself and start 'dressing according to your shape'. No more size 'XL'. It's 'M' for you now."
"Okay!" She said, delighted. Kaoru couldn't help but smile. She was so happy to be an M, yet most of the models were still half her size, S or XS, and they would have seen that dreaded M as a death-sentence. He tried to imagine Victoria being told she needed a size 12. She would have thrown a fit and demanded they measure again. It just showed what difference perspective could make.
"Now will you let me buy you some clothes?" He asked, exasperated.
"...alright." She agreed, smiling.
It was still hard work, building her confidence to try things on, getting her to show him, to trust his suggestions and to let him buy the clothes. The problem was, they had different ideas. To her, a wardrobe was for practical purposes- enough clothes to last a week or two, something for going out for a meal in, something for a formal setting, a job interview or in an office. To Kaoru, clothes were there to make you look as good as you could, and being seen by the same people in the same outfit too often was a huge problem. Still, he eventually wore her down and her collection of acceptable clothing gradually grew. As Big Ben struck one-thirty, Ellie finally protested.
"Kaoru-san," she said, tentatively. "I think we should head back to the flat. It's lunchtime and if we get much more it won't fit in the cab..."
He knew she was right. Both of them were laden down with boxes and bags and packages. It was time for a break. "Alright," he said. "But once we've rested up a bit, we'll come back and carry on!"
"We're not done?!" She was shocked.
"Not by half." He sighed. "This is what happens when you have a wardrobe that resembles a bomb hitting a clothes factory. We've had to start from scratch."
"But..."
"Besides, do you think all this will fit in that suitcase of yours? We're going to have to buy another."
"Ahh, you're right!"
"And you still need to get your ears pierced."
"W-what?! Kaoru-san, I'm not going to do that!"
"Oh, but you are!"
"I am not!"
"That's what you think."
"Kaoru-san! No!"
Seeing them arguing like that, was it any surprise that the staff had thought she was his girlfriend, or that everyone passing them on the street thought the same?
"Aww, okay, baby." Victoria cooed. "Call me again tomorrow?"
"Definitely." Kaoru said. "Love you, bye." He hung up, relieved. He had been taking advantage of their rest to call her, and had been somewhat uncomfortable to learn she seemed to be taking the idea of moving to Japan seriously, assuming that she could model for his mother. She didn't seem to realise how expensive the cost of living in Japan was- or was she counting on him to provide for her? He wasn't even sure he wanted to be with her, however good a girlfriend she was, knowing she wouldn't have taken an interest if he hadn't been rich. He felt immensely guilty that she seemed to be so much more serious about their relationship than he was. Maybe her feelings for him were real? After all, it was only Ellie who had said she was like that...
Ellie, at that moment, was in her room. He had told her she had to change into some new clothes before they could go out again, but had challenged her to find the appropriate 'shopping' outfit. He had already rejected two of her suggestions, so she had determined to stay in her room until she was certain. She showed no sign of emerging, so he decided to call Hikaru.
"Hey, Kaoru."
"Hi." Kaoru answered. "How're you?"
"I'm fine." Hikaru answered. "Bit itchy, but mostly, fine."
Kaoru could tell from his tone that he wasn't fine, but it didn't even occur to him to guess that Hikaru had confessed and changed his mind in the last few days, thinking that he was probably in worse health than he claimed. Instead, Kaoru proceeded to fill his brother in on the morning's excitement.
"Oh, yeah!" He said, unable to stop laughing at their antics. "I didn't tell you, we dined and dashed. It was an accident, but Ellie was coming out with all this 'I'm not pretty' stuff, hadn't realised she wasn't fat anymore, so I got annoyed and dragged her out of this cafe but-"
"Sounds like fun." Hikaru spat, and Kaoru suddenly realised his mistake. He wasn't supposed to be having fun, was he? This wasn't meant to be a holiday, it was supposed to be perjury. An enforced separation, worse for him than Hikaru because at least Hikaru had been near-unconscious with fever for most of it. That was what he was supposed to claim, what Hikaru needed to hear.
"Not really." He backpedalled hastily. "I'm just trying to make the best of it, you know? Grey-chan's still about as boring as they come. She just wants to go on walks or go sightseeing all the time. It took ages to convince her to let me buy her some decent clothes, but I was just sick of her walking round like she didn't even realise how much of a mess she looked. It's not like she's ever going to be pretty, but she could at least put some effort in so she doesn't look so plain. You should have seen how she dressed before- downright ugly, you know? And I'm sick of waking up to her 'singing'. She sounds like an electric drill. I don't know how she's not embarrassed, she must just not care what people think. Hey, I bet that's why her parents have been on a two-year long business trip!"
They laughed together at someone's lack of fashion sense, and it seemed normal. Teasing people with his brother was what they did. They were a double act. He had been forgetting that. He had been away too long. They finished the conversation with Hikaru sounding considerably cheered by the idea that Kaoru was as fed up as him. He hung up, and Ellie was finally ready in jeans and a jumper, and they set out for round two of the shopping spree.
Ellie had clearly begun to lose interest by this point, obviously just trying things on and letting him buy them to keep him happy. She was more interested in the landmarks they passed, and persuaded him to go into the National Portrait Gallery. They looked at some of the old paintings, but they weren't art critics and neither of them got much out of it.
"...the lighting is very nice." Ellie made a valiant attempt. "What do you think, Kaoru-san?"
"I think the clothes must have been really loose in those days."
"What?"
"Everyone is falling out of them."
That was true. Almost every painting in the room featured someone who was half-naked with just a few bits of cloth to suggest this wasn't their normal state. Ellie, unable to contain it, began to giggle; which set Kaoru off, until they were glared at by so many patrons that Ellie, blushing, decided to leave.
Things picked up after that. They saw Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament, complete with Big Ben. They managed to see the Gherkin in the distance, the Thames, the Tower bridge, the ill-fated Dome; all from the view at the top of the tower at St Paul's Cathedral. Yes, it had been a long climb, but it had been worth it. It was such a wonderful view. After that, she insisted crossing the bridge to have a look at the Globe Theatre. He was done after about five minutes, and allowed her another five until his incessant complaints about being bored drove her out. All this was interspersed with more shopping. She was enthusiastic as always, but he knew there was one thing that caught her attention more than the rest. In the window of a shop was an evening dress, less of a ball gown then the one he had ordered, more one you would wear to a formal meal or to the opera.
"You want it?" He asked.
"No." She shook her head. "Where would I ever go to wear something like that?"
"Come on, just buy it." He urged, explaining the situations it would be suitable for in great depth.
"But I never go anywhere like that." She said. "Still, I think I'll try it on, at least."
"Good girl." Kaoru approved, and approved of the result. It looked good; but he wasn't convinced it was the best choice. "No," He said. "It looks nice, but the lighter-coloured one would look great."
"No." She shook her head. "I'm buying this one. Myself."
"But I-"
"I'm getting this for me, Kaoru-san, not for you." She said, going to get changed again. "...but you can get me the other one."
Kaoru laughed and rolled his eyes, deciding not to argue. He didn't understand girls, for all his time in the host club. He went and paid for the lighter coloured dress, and with that was finally satisfied. Her clothes shopping was done for today.
The next stop was to buy another large suitcase, seconds before the shop shut, and once their purchases were shoved inside it for easier carrying, Ellie was more than ready for dinner. Kaoru, however, spotted a jeweller's that was still open and pulled her inside, praising London for its insanely long opening hours. They were obviously used to people shopping well into the evening.
"It doesn't hurt!" He tried to convince her.
"I don't want it!" She protested, already seated in the chair provided for ear piercing. The jeweller hovered, uncertain whether to continue or not.
"Look, it'll be over in a second, and then you can accessorise properly for the rest of your life!"
"But... it must hurt..."
"Nope, just like getting an injection." Kaoru said, glancing meaningfully at the jeweller, who seemed to understand.
"Still, I'm not sure I want to- oh!" She jumped, startled, before pouting at them. "You did it. I wasn't ready."
"Better have the other one done to match, don't you think?" Kaoru smirked.
Kaoru hadn't seen the attraction of a giant Ferris wheel, but he had to admit seeing the whole of London laid out before them, lit up with the night's lights, was somewhat spectacular. They were riding the London Eye, standing at the edge of the pod, quietly watching the view slowly slide by. Ellie seemed far away in her own thoughts, her face betraying that they were troubled. She was probably worrying about her parent's company being brought out. But she'd be alright, he was sure. Her parents would be able to sort it out.
He took the time to examine her properly. Now she was dressed well in things that fitted and suited her, lit by the dim lights of London, her hair nicely curled, there was no denying it.
"We did well. The effort paid off." Kaoru said, self-satisfied. "You look beautiful, Ellie."
She looked at him, sharply, surprised. Then she looked away, and barely said another word to him for the rest of the ride or even the journey back to the flat.
"Well," she said. "I'm worn out. If you'll be alright here, I'm going to head to bed."
"Hey." Kaoru was suddenly irritated. "Are you going to tell me what I've done?"
"Done, Kaoru-san?"
"Yeah, as soon as I said you looked beautiful you got all prissy and annoyed."
She opened her mouth to say something, then stopped, changed her mind, and started again. "Kaoru-san, if there was anything worth saying, I would say it."
"It was meant to be a compliment." He muttered, and that was the final straw.
"But it was a lie." She said. He didn't recognise her tone, then realised it was anger.
"Just because you have self-esteem issues, don't take it out on me." He dismissed.
"This is nothing to do with self-esteem!" She shouted. "I am sick of you, Kaoru-san!"
"...what?"
"You're always making a fool of me!" She was upset now, weeks of resentment exploding out of her. "You take me out and dress me up like a doll so you can call your brother and tell him how stupid I look!"
Kaoru couldn't say anything. She had heard that?
"I'm sick of it! Ever since you've got here, all you've done is insult me and be rude to me and treat me like your skivvy, using me for your own amusement with Hikaru-san and Victoria and laughing at me because you think 'oh, Grey-chan's so stupid, she doesn't realise when I'm insulting her'. Well, I do realise! I let it go and let it go and let it go because it's so much easier to pretend its all over my head!"
"Ellie, I..."
"Don't you mean Grey-chan? Doesn't it suit someone as 'boring' and 'downright ugly' as me?"
"I... I didn't mean for you to hear."
"What does it matter if you did?!" She said. She was starting to cry. "I'm sorry, Kaoru-san, but I can't take any more of this! I thought, it's just because he misses his brother, he'll come around, but it wasn't! You're just rude and obnoxious and think everyone's sole purpose in life should be to pander to you! I thought... I thought we were finally becoming friends, but you're just doing it so you can look down on me, as always!"
"That isn't true!" Kaoru was annoyed now. "Don't act so ungrateful when I've been buying you stuff all day, and don't pretend to understand what's going on with Hikaru! Greg, your parents, all of them; if they wanted to be around you then they would! Me and Hikaru have no choice and now I'm stuck here with you!"
"...Then I won't trouble you with my company any longer." She whispered.
"...Ellie..." He sighed. "Look. I only said that stuff to keep Hikaru happy, it doesn't make it true. And anyway, if it bothers you that much, why did you act normal all day?"
"Because I believe that people should always be treated with respect." She said, shortly. "Even if they are just spoilt jerks. Or even stupid, ugly, boring girls."
"I..."
"Good night, Kaoru-san." She went into her bedroom and quietly shut the door. Kaoru sighed angrily and threw himself on the settee, turning the volume up loud on the TV so she shouldn't be able to sleep and he wouldn't have to listen to her sobbing. So she had known all along, had she? So all those attempts to get her to hate him when he had first arrived hadn't been water off a duck's back after all. She had been storing them all up, to use against him and make him feel like a bad guy. He felt a stab of resentment. So what if he had been rude? She should have said something. So what if he had been a little two-faced? So had she, pretending to be all happy and glad to see him, while secretly hating him.
They were showing The Phantom of the Opera on television. He changed channel. He wasn't going to waste all night worrying about her.
Still, it was some time before he got to sleep that night.
A/N: Oh my. To be continued. :)