A/N: Not Hatori-sensei, so I don't own OHSHC. Thank you for continuing to read and please enjoy chapter eleven!
New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.
Chapter Eleven: Caine's Decision
As the Host Club lunched, Kyoya watched Caine avidly, trying to gauge if he seemed to be fitting in with the others. It was key that he liked them and they him in order for him to develop the desire to join the club. He had clearly taken to Honey, who was easy to like and wanted to be friends with everyone, and Mori always followed Honey's lead. The twins were harder to read, but Caine seemed to be doing well, defending his food from theft and even mischievously returning the favor. He was glad this was Caine's first introduction to the club. Here, the hosts were all at ease, not distracted by customers, instead showing their true, fun-loving natures.
The garden was very relaxing, a slight breeze blowing up the hill from the city below. It was a good-weather day, only a few white wisps of cloud in the sky.
"It's so lovely here," Tamaki waxed poetically, "we should come here more often." Kyoya ignored him, taking a drink instead of responding. The blond-haired host said the same about every place they visited on retreat, but promptly forgot the serenity of the places when the hosts returned to Ouran and to "work". Kyoya was certain the host club king had short-term memory loss problems. After a few moments of rare Host Club silence, Tamaki set down his rice bowl and continued wondering out loud about Caine, acting as if the previous conversation had never been interrupted.
"Do you think the reason Caine thinks there could be a problem with Mira-sama if he was a host is because he likes her?" he said, gossiping like a young girl.
Although Tamaki saw none of them do it, Caine choked slightly on a piece of shrimp tempura and both Kyoya and Haruhi rolled their eyes–Kyoya, because he knew the two were, in reality, twins, and Haruhi because she was sensible. Tamaki, clueless as ever, continued in the same vein.
"It would be so adorable if the Host Club was able to bring them together!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands at what he thought was the brilliance of his idea.
Kyoya wanted to bury his face in his hands at Tamaki's foolishness, but, luckily, Haruhi saved him from having to by reprimanding Tamaki.
"I don't think that's the case, senpai," she admonished, "I think they are simply childhood friends, and being a host is somewhat," and here she clearly wanted to say very, "different from Caine's natural personality."
Tamaki looked heartbroken. Kyoya knew he wanted to the world to be as flamboyant as he was and was disappointed it didn't often come up to the mark.
Caine, recovering from choking, noticed Tamaki's downcast expression.
"Is everything alright, Suou-kun?" he questioned, unused to Tamaki's wild mood swings.
Tamaki practically leaped onto him, hugging him tightly out of the blue.
"PLEASE call me Tamaki!" he cried, "I want to be your friend! Tell me everything!"
Naturally, Caine looked more than a little uneasy. Tamaki could be physically and emotionally overwhelming at times.
"He tends to go overboard," Kyoya, who he could see over Tamaki's shoulder, explained with a long-suffering air, "but he means well."
"I DO mean well," agreed Tamaki enthusiastically, but he let go of the silver-haired boy.
He sighed and gave a look that said, alright then, glad to be free of him.
"So how do we convince Mira-sama to agree to let Caine join Host Club?" asked Tamaki, continuing, again, the previous conversation right where it had left off.
"We could bribe her with cake," suggested Honey, who was clearly not really trying.
"Mhm," replied Mori, suggesting to Honey that such a tactic would only work on Honey himself.
"But we could bribe her," said Hikaru, again latching onto an idea.
"With pretty dresses," added Kaoru.
"Or . . . something," Hikaru finished.
"If only… if only To-sama could be convinced it would be beneficial, he could bring Mira on board," Caine absentmindedly said to no one in particular, not thinking they would take his suggestion seriously.
"Who's To-sama?" the other hosts asked Kyoya in whispers only he could hear.
"He means Yabatsukuni-sama, Mira's father," he whisper-explained in reply, "Caine sees him as a second father, so he calls him oto-san, but his social standing is so much higher he has to be oto-sama to him." In reality, he knew the "sama" was only a mark of Caine's immense respect for the man who had adopted him and his sister, raising them up from nothing after the death of their mother, his half-sister.
"Ohhh," they whisper-replied with understanding. They, as all of their standing, knew without asking of the powerful Yabatsukuni.
Haruhi, always suspecting the simple solution would, in fact, be the easiest one, said,
"Would it be possible to convince him?"
Kyoya gave her the side-eye. He seriously doubted Haruhi knew enough about Yabatsukuni to be saying such a thing. Surely it couldn't be that simple?
But Caine didn't seem so doubtful.
"Mira has said he has long thought I would benefit from trying to be more social," he mused, "and couched in the right terms, it is possible he would go for it."
Haruhi, unobserved, gave a little smile that her simple idea had gained more ground than the others' more elaborate plans.
"Kyoya-kun," said Caine, turning to him, "you'll help me, right?"
He nodded.
"Of course."
"Yay!" exclaimed Tamaki with his usual high level of excitement, "we got Caine to be a host! But," he said, realizing there was still something to solve, "what style of hosting will he have . . ." He stood, his chin in his hand, lost in thought and completely ignored by the others. Kyoya gave him a look that said, we can deal with that later, after we even know if he can be a host.