twentynine
Chapter Ten
Deaf Heaven
A/N: The title of this chapter is from one of Shakespeare's sonnets. It describes how heaven seems to be deaf to the prayers of mortal men. I thought it was appropriate for the last chapter of Season One.
Side note: it looks like I made a mistake on one of the fun facts from a previous chapter. Ariel's birthday is not September 21, it's October 5, which is today in the story! Hooray (too bad no one knows)! She's a Libra, not a Virgo.
Another important note: I have been made aware that I write Ouran more like an American high school than a Japanese one. I can't go back and fix every error I've made without significantly altering the course of the story, so instead I'll just apply my creative license and say that maybe Ouran Academy has a westernized approach than normal Japanese schools. Sorry about that!
Disclaimer: I own neither OHSHC nor any of the other copyrighted things referenced in this chapter.
XXIX
Kyoya
We arrive at Ariel's house on Sunday, October fifth. It was not difficult to obtain the location of her parent's estate in America. Once I informed my brother Akito that we meant no harm to Ariel, and that we were only trying to help her, he grudgingly gave up her address. Though it was his understanding that Ariel had not lived in her parent's house for a few years, he assumed that she'd go there once touching down in Los Angeles to be with her family. It seemed logical. When fleeing from us, who better to receive her than her own parents, who hadn't seen her in months?
The seven of us all spread out on the porch of the main building. Even I have to admit, the Amsels' American estate is impressive. It is more modern than I would have expected from an ancient line like the Amsels, but it fits the landscape expertly. The buildings are designed in shades of white and deep russet, with steeply sloping roofs, a nod to the family's German roots. A wall of floor-length windows faces the now-setting sun, which is reflected in an enormous pond to the right of the entryway. The overall effect was of a place of calm and rest, a true home, even despite the modernity and multitude of buildings.
"Are you going to ring the doorbell?" Tamaki asks me. Since coming to the US, he has switched over into English completely, even when there are no English speakers around. I get the impression that he is attempting to show off his impeccable accent.
No matter. I've been told many times that my English is perfect as well. Even if I have an accent, my grammar, spelling, and understanding of American culture is probably better than Tamaki's.
I reach out and press the little button, letting a chime ring out through the house. In what seems like an instant, a butler comes to the door and bows. I wonder what is going through his head - it must be strange to see a group of six handsome young men and one girl (to my fellow hosts' delight, it appears as if Haruhi's father has repacked her suitcases with only women's clothes), show up without warning on your doorstep. Still, his expression betrays absolutely no surprise, only quiet civility. "Gentlemen, lady. What may be your business here today at the Amsel manor?"
"We need to speak with Ariel Amsel." I reply. Despite Tamaki's position as the host club's "King", I have become the unspoken leader on this journey. Perhaps because it is my false betrayal that led Ariel to leave in the first place, perhaps because it is the Ootori's estate that she left, perhaps because somehow, I have come to consider Ariel Amsel to be a friend - it doesn't matter why. Though I appreciate the support of the other hosts, this is my mess to set straight, and set it straight I will.
"Unfortunately, Miss Ariel is not feeling well at the moment. You will have to come back later." He attempts to close the door on us, but I quickly grab it and pull it back open.
"Sir, I wouldn't want to disturb Ariel, but I'm afraid this is urgent." I give the butler an evil smile that would curl the devil's horns, and the butler gives a quick shudder.
"I… suppose that would be alright. Let me escort you to her room."
Having regained his cool exterior, he lets us in and leads the way up an elegant flight of stairs to a doorway. Outside Ariel's room is a sitting room, furnished with high-quality chairs and divans in simplistic, ultra-modern style that doesn't fit the rest of the house. Judging by Ariel's preferred style, I can only assume that she outfitted this sitting room herself. The seven of us settle down on the various chairs as the butler suggests.
"Wait here, please," he asks before he knocks on the door to Ariel's room. For a moment, nothing happens, and I wonder if she's even here. Then the door cracks open a little bit, and I see a tuft of red hair over the butler's bald scalp.
"Arthur? What's up?"
"Miss Ariel, a group of young men and a young lady are here to see you. They insisted that it was urgent."
"What? Really?" I guess she can't see us through the crack in the door.
"Yes, Miss Ariel."
"Are they all really hot?"
"...Yes, Miss Ariel."
"Fuck, it's the host club!" The corner of my mouth turns up at her swearing. Somehow, I've missed it.
The butler just sighs. "Will you see them or not, Miss Ariel?"
"...Fine. I'll see them."
The door slowly opens wider, and I'm on my feet before I know it.
She's there.
All that red-haired, olive-skinned glory.
Her eyes are smudged with sleep deprivation, but they're that same cloud-like blue that has been haunting me for the past week - no, make that the past month, ever since we danced on the balcony together.
It's… good, great, wonderful, to see her, and I try not to smile.
But I do.
XXIX
Ariel
I'm sulking. It's my go-to habit when I feel like the world has betrayed me. I do realize that I'm being melodramatic, but still! Did Kyoya have to snoop on my past? No. Did he have to write a bullshit article that says I'm a killer? No. Did Opa have to accuse me of withholding inforformation about my memory of Aurora's death? No.
Kyoya's betrayal in particular stings. I want to cry about it, but I've already wasted enough tears on the jerk. Instead I hug the giant stuffed owl that's been sitting on my bed for the past 8 or so years and snuggle into the comforter. It feels good, like being a turtle, able to retreat into my shell when the world isn't being nice to me.
Unfortunately, the high thread-count and Egyptian cotton don't keep out the bad thoughts. Why would Kyoya do this to me? I thought we had a good thing going - a friendship, or at least the fact that we are - no, we were - in the same club, and I lived on his house. I even took care of him when he was sick, all out of the goodness of my heart! I suddenly sit up among the blankets, the feeling of anger burning away my sadness. What did I ever do to him, aside from threatening him that one time? I wasn't going to go through with it! Besides, I thought we'd moved past that. What good reason could Kyoya have to want to reveal my past? It would only worsen relations between our two families, which wouldn't be beneficial to him in any way. The only reason I can think of is for the sake of being a dick, aka no good reason.
What an asshole.
A knock sounds at my door and I frown. I asked the staff not to disturb me today. I want to be left to my sulking. I consider not answering the door, but that would be kind of rude. Plus, whoever it is might come in anyway even if I don't answer, which would suck. I hate having people in my room - that's the whole reason I converted the sitting room outside in the first place - to have a place to talk to people that wasn't in my private bedroom. Even as a fifth grader, I'd valued my alone time highly.
I get up and open the door a tiny bit, just enough to see the shiny bald head of a butler. I think his name is Arthur? "Arthur? What's up?"
"Miss Ariel, a group of young men and a young lady are here to see you. They insisted that it was urgent." A group of young men and a young lady? That sounds like… no, it couldn't be.
"What? Really?"
"Yes, Miss Ariel."
One way to know for sure. "Are they all really hot?"
Arthur looks like he wants to roll his eyes, but he resists the urge. "...Yes, Miss Ariel."
"Fuck, it's the host club!" I think, and then cover my mouth and give the exasperated butler a sheepish grin as I realized I said that out loud.
He sighs. "Will you see them or not, Miss Ariel?"
"...Fine. I'll see them."
I open the door ever-so-slowly, letting Arthur move out of the way before stepping out of the room. Outside is the host club, all seven of them plus me. Kyoya's the only one standing up, and he looks into my eyes with such intensity that for a second my knees go weak.
Seeing him again feels like a sigh of relief, which is ridiculous because, as we've just established, I hate the guy. I brush off the feeling just in time to see a smile growing on his face.
Usually Kyoya's smiles come in two varieties: sweet-but-fake ones that are designed to woo people into doing his will, and smirks that come from him getting his way at someone else's expense. This one is neither. He looks happy.
That's… kind of a first, I guess.
I hate his stupid face.
I cross my arms and try (and fail) to look anywhere but at Kyoya. "What are you all doing here?"
He quells his smile and adjusts the position of his glasses. Not that I'm looking. "We are here to bring you back to Japan."
"What? Are you serious? After what you did?"
He pauses for a moment, and for a second I swear he looks troubled. Ha, ha. Kyoya Ootori is never troubled. That jerk is always in control. "You bring in valuable customers. If we were to lose you , our credibility would deteriorate."
I huff. Is that all he cares about? The host club's credibility? "You're joking, right?"
Haruhi stands up. "Kyoya didn't write that article, Ariel."
What?
Really?
She continues. "It was written by Akira Komatsuzawa. He's wanted to take down the host club for a while, and I guess he thought that getting to you would be the best way to do it."
It wasn't Kyoya.
It wasn't Kyoya.
While my mind keep repeating 'it wasn't Kyoya,' my mouth keeps on speaking. "So why did he want to take down the host club? That doesn't make sense." Haruhi answers, but I'm so irrationally happy that it wasn't Kyoya who spilled my secret that I don't hear her.
I turn to Kyoya. "So… you weren't looking into my past."
He nods. "Not since you asked me forcefully to stop."
I sort of laugh at the memory, but I'm so stricken by the realization that it comes out as a weird bark.
"Ari-kun!" I feel someone tugging on my shirt, and turn around to see Honey's adorable face. "Are you going to come back to the host club?"
I consider for a moment, then nod. If there's anything I've learned in the past week, it's that even at home, there are going to be people that try to hurt me with Aurora's death.
"I'm sorry," I say to Kyoya. "I should have waited. I should have asked you what happened instead of making assumptions."
"Yes, you should have." Kyoya assents. I feel a trace of annoyance, but I've gotten used enough to his brusque manner that it doesn't bother me too much. Besides, he's right. Seeing that article spooked me enough to run away to another hemisphere without asking questions.
"Kyoya actually threatened the guy who did write the article," Tamki adds. "He was trying to protect-"
Before he can finish his sentence, Kyoya turns around and hits him gently on the side of the head. "Let's not talk about that, shall we?" he smiles, one eyebrow twitching in annoyance.
Kyoya tried to protect me? No, I must have heard that wrong. There's no way.
I come closer to Kyoya. "Thanks. But that article… you must have been wondering if any of it was true, right? All of you. That was why I left. Whenever I tell people the truth about what happened to my sister, they never believe it. I just couldn't let that happen with you guys."
"We would have believed you if you'd explained," says Hikaru.
"That's what it means to be a host. We trust each other," Kaoru adds.
Tamaki smiles at the two of them. "We're a family. If you tell us the truth, we'll believe you."
It's cheesy, lame, all of that, but I like it. It's not like I don't have my own family, but right now my mother and father are the only ones around that believe what I say about Aurora's death, and I know that on some deep level they must blame me at least a tiny bit. Hell, I blame myself. If I could just remember what happened… but I can't, and for now there's no way to force the memory. I just need people I can trust.
A heavy sigh bubbles out of my chest and I have to sit down with the force of it.
"Let me explain."
I nod to the stone-faced butler and he bows, then leaves the room silently. The hosts settle back into the chairs around me and give me their rapt attention. It bothers me a little to have so many eyes on me, so many people waiting for my story, but I know I have to tell it if I want to get close to these people. Right now I like them, but if I want to truly have meaningful friendships with them, this secret is going to come out sooner or later. I may as well tell them on my own terms.
"It happened in my first year of high school, January of this year. Our school year starts in the fall and there's four years of high school, starting with ninth grade. I was a lot different then. I hung out with people who weren't exactly good for me, and I had a boyfriend who was 4 years older."
Tamaki, the twins, Honey, and Haruhi all looked shocked out of their skulls. I kind of huff. Is it really so surprising that I could have a boyfriend? I thought I projected a "bad girl" image to them! After all, I am the "fiery" type. "Anyway, I was working at this little place called the Springtime Diner at the time. I was a waitress. I know I don't really have to work, but my mom really wanted me to because she was the 'raise yourself up by the bootstraps' type and she didn't want me to grow up lazy. Since my goal back then was to get a job at her company, I went along with it. It wasn't too hard - the manager was my friend's mother and she let me get away with a lot of crap."
I notice I'm veering away from the point of a story, so I circle back around. "Anyway, in January, I was working at the Springtime Diner. It was a Friday, January 17th. The manager left me to close up shop. It was late, and I was pretty broken up at the time because I'd just caught my boyfriend cheating on me, so I don't recall if I'd locked the front doors. After that, I don't remember anything."
I wait for one of them to say something, to accuse me of making it up, but the room is as silent as a grave.
"The next thing I remember is seeing Aurora…" I swallow, because the words don't feel right in my throat. They're not fair. "Aurora was dead on the floor. I called the police and just sat there, waiting. They told us later that from examining the wound, it was clear that someone had… s-slammed her head against a table. I just don't know who."
Haruhi scoots closer to me and puts an arm around my shoulder. "That's horrible. I'm so sorry."
"You… you believe me?"
"Of course." The rest of the hosts nod as well.
"You don't think I'm holding back information or anything?"
"No," Kyoya replies, adjusting his glasses. "Why would you lie? You loved your sister, didn't you? I'm sure you would do anything you could to see your sister's killer apprehended."
If I wasn't so sobered from having just told my story, I would have laughed with happiness. He'd just summarized everything I'd ever tried to tell my old friends, my grandparents, and even myself when I tried to explain why I couldn't remember.
"Yeah. You're right."
"See, Ari-kun? We believe you!" Honey exclaimed. "It must have been hard for you. I can't imagine."
"Thanks, guys." I sigh again but this time it end with a smile. Standing up, I straighten out my arms and stretch toward the ceiling, feeling the weight of my secret lifting off my shoulders. "I guess it's time to go back to Japan."
XXIX
A/N: Sorry if that ending felt a little sudden. As I've said before, I'm not good at endings.
Well, there you have it! End of Season One! How did you like it? I'm hoping for some more faves and follow, not to mention reviews, so please do any/all of those things and I'll be a happy duckling!
Next chapter will be a quick Omake about Aurora and Akito's story before she died. Hope you're looking forward to it!
Fun Fact #10: Ariel's favorite book genre is horror.
About the Author: My favorite book genre is fantasy.
What's your favorite book genre? Leave me a review!
Until next time…