Ivy N.O: Hey guys, Not much to say here, So please enjoy and please review!
Review Replies:
Soundbird: Glad you like my OCs, it bothers me too if there are a lot of OCs in a story, originally I planned on having Hazuki and Yuuki in a different story but I thought the plot needed a bit more in it. ^_^ Yeah, those two will become slightly more mysterious for a little while but all shall be revealed. ^_^ Glad to know I haven't stolen someone else's Yuuki by accident ^_^
Kaylee-Sempai: Dramatic! Aw, sorry to hear that, I'll PM you and we can have a bit of a chat about it ^_^
MarinaStryke: Hehe, hmmm, I'm tempted to but no, I think it's best if I don't spoil it for you ^_^ He is secretly adorable, but only around his sisters, to everyone else he's not to be trusted ^_^ But I like him cause he's edgy.
Without Further Ado, Here's Chapter 11:
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"Hey, Kyoya-san!"
Kyoya turned to see Kaito running up towards him, his hand gripping his shoulder bag. Nearby girls looked and openly stared as he came to a stop in front of the shorter boy, panting ever so slightly. Kaito, clearly aware of the attention, tousled his hair and put a cheeky grin on his handsome face. His eyes glinted with mischievous glee that made Kyoya feel a pang of apprehension.
"Can I speak to you for a moment?" Kaito gave a half glance over his shoulder as though he was wary of their audience. He put his hand lightly on Kyoya's arm and leaned in.
"In private." He added in a sultry voice, giving Kyoya a wink. Around them girls gasped with wide eyes at the unspoken insinuation. Kyoya blanched inwardly at the contact but externally he showed no surprise. Instead he plastered his host club smile on his face,
"Of course, Kaito-san, lead the way."
Kaito smirked and walked into an unoccupied classroom, He opened the door and held it open for Kyoya who rolled his eyes but entered. Kaito bit back his laughter as he followed and allowed the door to close.
"Was that stunt really necessary?" Kyoya asked, his arms folded across his chest. Kaito smiled impishly and shrugged,
"Not really, but it was fun. You really can play these girls like a finely tuned guitar, can't you?"
"I don't know if I appreciate the metaphor although I do accept the logic of it. May I ask why you asked to see me in private? I find it hard to believe that it was merely to play on our audience's fantasies."
Kaito shoved his hands in to his pockets and shrugged again, "I'm in." He said simply. "I'll join your host club."
Kyoya tilted his chin upwards as he regarded Kaito, "I see, glad to hear that you have agreed, Kaito-san."
The brunette chuckled darkly, "Don't thank me just yet, bright eyes, I have a condition."
Kyoya's eyes narrowed and he leaned against the teacher's desk. "Alright, I'm listening. What is your price, Kaito-san?"
The younger boy took a deep breath and sat down on one of the student's desk, facing Kyoya. After a moment he spoke,
"My sister, I'm sure you realised by her verbal onslaught yesterday, is a pretty formidable character. Which is fine, great really, 'cause that makes her a fantastic CEO. But, since our dad died and she had to take over the Datkin Empire she's become more...intense."
Kyoya nodded, "Understandable. What is it you want us to do about that?"
"Simple really, Suoh says that you guys work towards the happiness of every girl, right? So, I want you to make Midori smile. Really, truly, smile. Not this fake one she puts on, like the one you did in the hall. Don't get me wrong, she's not depressed or anything, but she's just...not her. Make her happy, make her relax, and I'll sell my soul to you guys."
Kyoya paused as though he was considering the offer, "And what if we fail to make her happy?"
Kaito smiled but it seemed forced, "Then you'll just have to find another hot, multi lingual Italian guy with a charming smile and a bad attitude."
Kyoya stared at him for a moment before giving a small laugh and pushing his glasses up his nose. "Well then, We shall be sure not to fail. We do not require your soul, Kaito-san. Just your loyalty. And provided we uphold our end of this bargain, I will expect every ounce of it."
Kaito gave Kyoya an amused look, "They say Tamaki's the president, but that's not true, is it?"
Kyoya smiled brightly, "I work only to fulfil my duties as vice-president to the best of my abilities."
The brown haired boy chuckled, "Which you do with no small amount of power and threats. Well, now that our bargain has been struck I'll be heading off. Can't be late for class you know." Kaito gave Kyoya a wink and began to leave the room.
"No we can't have that."Kyoya agreed. As Kaito reached the door Kyoya called out to him again,
"But while we are on the subject of power and threats, I'd like to add one last thing," Kyoya straightened from the desk and something in his voice made Kaito falter by the door. He didn't turn to look at Kyoya as the raven haired boy spoke,
"Never insinuate we are an item in front of our guests ever again. Doing so will not end well for you."
Surprise flickered across Kaito's face before he smirked and left, not saying another word.
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Haruhi took a deep breath as she stood outside the school gates. She hadn't been this nervous about going to school since her first day. She flexed her fingers by her side and tried to calm herself down.
Come on, Haruhi, you can do it...It's just one day...She thought to herself. She took a dramatic step forward before groaning and burying her face in her hands.
"Maybe I can just call in sick instead." She muttered.
"Isn't that a bit of an overreaction?"
Haruhi glanced up and saw Amaya sitting in her chair behind her. Her usual entourage of her brother and cousin weren't with her at the moment and Haruhi felt herself relax just a little. This would be easier without them.
"No. It isn't. Because the second I walk through that door, I'm going to have to face them. All of them."
A flash of guilt crossed Amaya's face, "I'm really sorry for telling them, Haruhi. I didn't mean to ruin today for you."
Haruhi shook her head, "It's okay, Amaya. They would have found out anyway. Kyoya would have figured it out somehow."
Amaya nodded. "That's true, I suppose." She wheeled up to Haruhi and looked off into the distance beside her.
"There really is nothing for it. We have to go in. You have to go in." Amaya told Haruhi.
"I know. It was always going to happen, I guess." Haruhi sighed. They made their way into the school building lethargically.
"Hey, Haruhi?"
"Yes, Amaya?"
The brunette glanced down to the blonde who was holding a small box. Inside was a framed picture of her and Haruhi going to the Otazin ball.
"Happy Birthday." She grinned at her.
Haruhi laughed wearily, and took the present from Amaya, "Thanks. You shouldn't have."
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"HaRUhi! Oh, HaRUhi!"
"Oh god, not the sing song voice. That's never a good sign." Amaya gasped. The two girls looked up to see the twins beaming at Haruhi, slightly wicked looks in their amber eyes.
"Oh, shush, Amaya" Kaoru smirked,
"You know we'd never do anything to Haruhi on his special day." Hikaru added.
"We just wanted to give you your present, that's all." They said innocently. Amaya and Haruhi exchanged a look of fear.
"What's the present?" Haruhi said carefully.
The twins shook their heads. "Uh uh. Can't tell you, that'll ruin the surprise."
"Abort, abort! Dangerous present, potential life threat to birthday boy. Possible gun in class 1A, could also be a life crocodile, abort!" Amaya pretended to shriek into her sleeve.
Kaoru rolled his eyes, "Where would we get a live crocodile?"
Hikaru put his fingers to his lips, "Actually, now that you mention it, where could we get a live crocodile?"
The twins considered that with a mischievous smile, "Hmmm... We should look into this..."
"Way to give them ideas, Amaya." Haruhi grumbled. Amaya scratched the back of her head self consciously,
"Yeah...I forgot that I was talking to the doppelgangers..."
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"Can you two just give me the present already?" Haruhi demanded.
"Wow, looks whose selfish all of a sudden." The twins chastised.
"I think being led down a series of corridors blindfolded is enough to make anyone a little testy." Amaya rationalised. She was at the back of the group, the twins lead the way, each of them pulling one of Haruhi's hands. Amaya wasn't going to follow the twins, but then Haruhi reminded her that it was her fault she was in this mess in the first place.
"Okay, we're nearly there." Hikaru announced gleefully.
"Just through this door." Kaoru added. They swung open two large doors that reminded Amaya of the entrance to the Host Club and yanked Haruhi inside.
"Woah." Amaya breathed once she saw the contents of the room.
"What, what is it?" Haruhi demanded.
"Remember when I said I was sorry? Now I'm really sorry."
Haruhi gulped and the twins laughed,
"Don't be silly, Amaya. Ready Haruhi? On the count of three, one, two, three!"
The pulled off Haruhi's blindfold and presented their present with jazz hands. Haruhi's brown eyes widened at the sight of a mannequin wearing a full king's costume. It had a brown tunic that was strung up at the front and a pair of black cloth trousers. The boots were black as well and made from supple leather. A blood red clock fell from the shoulders with golden trim on the edges to match the crown that sat on the mannequin's head. It was an elegant circlet, red jewels ordained the sides.
"No, freaking, way." Haruhi said firmly.
The twins pouted a little, "Aw, come on! We spent so long working on this outfit!"
"You only found out it was my birthday two days ago!"
"Yeah, exactly. Working on something for two whole days? That's big for us." The twins replied, folding their arms in perfect synchronisation.
"Besides, you don't really have a choice," Kaoru said lightly,
"The shadow king has ordered this, remember?" Hikaru reminded her. Haruhi scowled at them before sighing in defeat,
"Amaya, if I give you back this present, will you call off Kyoya?" Haruhi asked half heartedly.
Amaya shook her head, "Even I can't command the shadow king to ignore a money making opportunity."
"So its settled! You'll wear our present today at the host club." The twins grinned.
"I guess I don't really have a choice." Haruhi mumbled in defeat.
"Great!" Kaoru cheered.
"Now you get to see your outfit, Amaya." Hikaru smiled.
"I, wait what?" Amaya asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, we all have to wear medieval stuff. We're squires, Tamaki's the prince, Honey's the jester, Mori is a knight-"
"If you say Ootori is the queen I'm going to get a hernia." Amaya interrupted. The twins smirked,
"No, he got angry when we suggested that actually..." Kaoru told them. He turned and walked behind the mannequin and began searching for something.
"He's a Lord. We were going to make you a knight as well but you wouldn't be able to wear all the armour in that chair, so..." Hikaru's grin was a little too impish for Amaya's liking. Kaoru took that moment as his cue to emerge from behind the mannequin with something bright and pink in his hands.
"You get to be a Lady!" They announced in unison. Amaya stared with wide eyes at the cerise audacity that was in front of her eyes. It was done in the style of traditional medieval wear, a gold thread was woven around the waist in a plait. The sleeves were long and would drape delicately over her hands when worn.
"I see you two have chosen today to die. So be it." Amaya deadpanned.
"Uh uh, Amaya. It's my birthday, I'm the King and if I have to wear my costume you have to wear yours." Haruhi told her with a firm tone.
"So...does that mean I'm not allowed to murder the twins?"
"I never said that."
Amaya gave the twins a wide grin. "The birthday girl says yes."
HIkaru and Kaoru cowered, "Haruhi!"
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"Oh, Haruhi-kun, you look so handsome as the King!" One of her guest fawned.
Haruhi put on a sweet smile, "Thanks, that's really sweet of you ladies to say. I don't know how I feel about the cloak, if I'm being honest." She gave a small awkward laugh and the surrounding girls' eyes went wide.
"No! Haruhi-kun, you should wear a cloak all the time!" The girls insisted.
"That sounds really uncomfortable." Kaito muttered from his place in the corner. He was watching club activities again today. It was the first time he had been to the host club since he made his deal with Kyoya, he hadn't been able to attend yesterday. Tamaki ordered him to study their methods for now as they would be beginning formal lessons next week.
Kaito bit back that he hardly needed lessons in playing a gentleman.
"Hey! Kai-chan! Over here, Kai-chan!"
Kaito glanced up and spotted Honey waving widely at him, a broad grin on his childish face. He still couldn't believe that that kid was in his older sister's class. Frankly, he found it a little eerie.
Kaito sighed and rose from his seat, plastering a soft smile on his face. "Is there something wrong, Honey-sempai?" He asked with his fake accent.
Honey shook his head, the bells on his jester hat jingling as he did. "Nope, I was just telling these ladies a joke and I thought you might like to hear it."
Kaito had to stop himself from putting on a condescending sneer. "Oh, and what is the joke?" He enquired as he sat down gracefully, keeping a watchful eye on the silent shadow that was Mori as he did. The tall boy unnerved him almost as much as Honey did. And seeing him in full armour with a sword on his waist wasn't making Kaito feel any more comfortable.
"What is the karate experts favourite drink?" Honey asked brightly.
"Oh god, don't tell me it's this joke." Kaito muttered under his breath, the guests however didn't seem to hear him as they leaned in intently.
"We don't know, Honey-sempai. What is it?" They questioned eagerly.
"Kara-tea!" Honey announced, looking infinitely proud of himself. The guests didn't make a noise for a second before bursting out into slightly too loud laughter.
"Kara-tea! That's brilliant!"
"Oh my god, you're so funny, Honey-sempai!"
"I think the world just became a slightly worse place." A new voice commented.
Kaito turned to see the unimpressed face of his older sister.
"Did you not like my joke, Mid-chan?" Honey asked with wide, sad eyes.
Kaito hissed, knowing immediately that Honey had made a mistake. Midori's green eyes narrowed a little and she gave the blonde a hard look.
"My name is Datkin Midori. You may refer to me as Datkin-san or Midori-san. But never, ever, call me Mid-chan. I don't know you. Don't act as though we are old friends."
Mori straightened slightly as though he was sizing up Midori. Kaito caught the action and stood up, looking Mori in the eye.
"Let's not make this into a scene." He said quietly, a bright smile on his face that worked towards easing the tension emanating off the guests.
Mori's jaw tightened but he gave a minute nod. The two boy looked at each other awkwardly until they were thankfully saved by Tamaki's voice.
"Ladies! Attention, ladies! I have an announcement to make! It is time for the bidding for the hand of our king to begin!" Tamaki proclaimed, his hands stretched out for dramatic effect. He was dressed similarly to Haruhi except he wore a thin gold band on his head and a blue cloak. Beside him Kyoya stood wearing an entirely black outfit, a lighter hooded cloak on his shoulders.
"Now, the rules for this are simple. Lord Kyoya here will work as our auctioneer. The bids shall be cash only and must be paid on the spot. The successful Lady shall win one date with our handsome Monarch." Tamaki gestured to Haruhi who sat uncomfortably on her throne.
"Any questions? No? Good. Then let us begin." Tamaki clapped his hands.
Kyoya stepped forward and cleared his throat. "The opening bid shall be a hundred thousand yen. Do I have a hundred thousand yen?"
"I'll bid a hundred thousand yen!"
"I have a hundred thousand, do I have a hundred and fifty?"
"A hundred and fifty!"
"Two hundred!"
"Two hundred and fifty!"
"Four hundred!"
Kyoya's glasses gleamed, "I have four hundred, do I have five?"
"Let's cut out the middle man. I bid one million yen. I believe that should outdo these ladies pocket money."
Everyone went quiet as they turned to Midori who was studying her nails dully. Kaito laughed,
"Way to make enemies, Dori."
Midori shrugged, "It's their parents I need in my pocket. And most of these only future in business is to be married to someone in it." She told him in a quiet voice.
"I have one million yen. Do I have one million and one?" Kyoya asked, scanning around the room where the guests were either searching their purses or glaring openly at Midori. For her part the half Irish CEO looked completely uncaring.
"Going once, going twice, sold. To Miss Datkin Midori."