Chapter 11
Of Romance, Envy, and Otakus Demanding a Show
Kaoru came to pick up Lilly promptly at seven. He had brought the limo, and Masumi and Hikaru were waiting inside as Kaoru waited patiently for Lilly to come down.
Kaoru was wearing a deep orange Victorian era suit, complete with ruffles and gold details, including golden buttons. He may have been rich, but he wasn't that wasteful, so obviously it wasn't real gold.
Lilly had on a Victorian dress in a cream color also with golden-looking details. She opened up the door, allowing Kaoru to get a blast of music, with a female alto voice singing, "Hey soul sister! Ain't that mister, mister on the radio? Stereo? The way you move ain't fair, you know."
Lilly quickly shut the door, Kaoru trying to guess what the American lyrics were. He asked, "Was that Rose?"
"No," Lilly fibbed, already having a plan. But that came later. "I see you brought company."
Kaoru smiled, offering her his hand, which she gladly accepted. "You know I couldn't let Hikaru try and get Rose jealous all by himself."
Lilly laughed a bit, rolling her eyes. "Hikaru and Rose really are a lot like each other."
Kaoru asked, cocking his head, "And what does this have to do with the conversation?"
"An eye for an eye."
Kaoru slowly puzzled over it, finally reaching the conclusion as he slid into the limo next to Lilly. Kaoru looked over to Hikaru, sitting across from him, with Masumi by his side. Hikaru had a blue suit with silver details, and Masumi's was a deep burgundy and black. Kaoru raised an eyebrow, chuckling, "What, no horse-drawn carriage?"
They both laughed at the statement, remembering the Ouran Fair, Hikaru subconsciously rubbing his arm. Lilly raised an eyebrow, having no idea what they were laughing about. However, everyone stopped cold as they heard Masumi's joyous laughter. "Oh my, Kaoru, what a card!" Masumi breathed out between giggles.
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. Hikaru asked her, "Um, why is it funny?"
Masumi told him in a cutesy way, "Why are you asking me? You're the one laughing."
"Because it's a bit of an inside joke. You know, you had to be there."
"Oh. Well, I still thought it was funny."
Lilly rolled her eyes, Masumi trying to hide her blush and anxiousness. Lilly pulled out her cell phone, texting Rose the one true flaw of Little Miss Perfect. She was way too desperate to be liked, especially by Hikaru.
The group pulled on their masks as they stepped out of the limo, the courtyard even more beautiful in the starry night with candles.
Tamaki was the first to greet them, smiling and waving. The group moved on past to the dance floor, a waltz playing. Kaoru offered his hand to Lilly, who gladly accepted. They gracefully floated across the floor, having only eyes for each other and ignoring the envious looks from the other girls.
As the song drew to an end, Kaoru and Lilly took a seat inside a gazebo, watching the other dancers, including Masumi and Hikaru. To Kaoru's utter surprise, Lilly growled when Hikaru spun Masumi. "What, not too fond of Masumi?"
Lilly watched Masumi smiling and dancing, with utter disgust. "She's the one person keeping my sister from being happy."
"Same with Hikaru, but I'm not growling."
"Sorry," Lilly winced. Kaoru put his arm around her shoulder. She shook her head. "It's just that... Well, Rose is taking it harder than I expected. She made a plan to make him jealous, but..." Lilly bit her lip. Kaoru gave her a one-sided hug reassuringly. Lilly continued, "I woke up in the middle of the night and... Rose was crying her eyes out in her bed. She was listening to her Ipod, and she kept mumbling something like, 'Masumi's prettier, smarter, and more talented'. She thinks it's like Joey Brown all over again, and in a way she realized she loves Hikaru."
Kaoru nodded knowingly. He looked at Lilly, tears of pain for her twin forming in her eyes. He told her comfortingly, "Hikaru is never going to hurt her. If we have to, we'll intervene, but we aren't stopping until those two realize exactly why they love each other."
Lilly perked up, smiling sadly. Her eyes widened, and she groaned. Before Kaoru could ask, she pointed towards the entrance to the courtyard, where Rose was entering, looking simply stunning in a red Victorian dress with silver details. A young charming boy was at her left, leading her down the stairs. "Come on Rose, don't use your pla-" Lilly stopped as everyone watched, shocked, when Rose hugged the boy her age and waved good bye as he ran back up the stairs.
Renge, the school's offical Host Club otaku, came up to Rose, along with most of the rest of the crowd. Lilly stood beside her. Renge oohed and ahhed at the simply drop dead gorgeous dress, then finally asked what was on everyone's mind. "Rose, why did your date leave?"
"Who, Andrew?" Rose played it up, the crowd listening. She dismissed the thought, "Oh no! Andrew is a close family friend who simply agreed to be my escort. You see, I checked with the school's chairman, and really the requirement is to bring an escort." The students stood there, stunned.
Lilly broke the silence, the crowd beginning to disperse, "You look amazing, sis!"
"You like? I thought you would. After all, it's your design!"
They hugged, Kaoru feeling like a third wheel. He cleared his throat, asking Lilly if she would like to dance again. She gladly accepted, bidding a quick farewell to Rose. They began to waltz, Masumi and Hikaru beside them. Rose sat, all alone at a table, feeling miserable. Masumi frowned. "Is she all right? She should be happy, after all, it is a party."
Lilly gave her a cold look. "For your information, Masumi, she's not okay. This is the anniversary of when she ran away."
Hikaru's eyes widened. He looked over to Rose, realizing that her eyes were beginning to sparkle with tears. Masumi raised an eyebrow. "She ran away? Quite wild."
Hikaru stopped dancing, letting go of Masumi. He gave her an offended look. "I'm sorry Masumi, but if you're going to talk like that about my friends, I can't be around you."
Masumi stood there, her mouth hanging open as Lilly, Kaoru, Hikaru, and the rest of the Host Club began to head towards Rose, overhearing Lilly from before.
"Are you sure you're all right, Rose?" Tamaki asked, giving her a sincere smile.
She wiped away a tear, not ready for them to see her weak side. "Allergies," she fibbed, looking at all the hosts and her twin. She faked a laugh, trying to reassure them. "It's so nice to know that you would all abandon your dates to see me, but you should go back and have fun. I'm fine, really."
Lilly had already taken her advice and had been talking to Renge. "Wouldn't it be lovely if the Host Club provided some entertainment?"
Renge took only a half second to think about it, yelling, "Yes! A marvelous idea! I could eat three bowls of rice with it!"
"Riiiiiight..." Lilly turned to the hosts, who were now listening. "You heard the lady, entertain. There's a stage over there. After all, you organized the ball."
The hosts all turned to Tamaki, the piano prodigy. "What?"
"Kyoya, how long will it take to get a piano down here?" Kaoru asked.
"We'll need a ten minute act."
Rose suggested, "Why not a martial arts demonstration by Hunny and Mori?"
"That's sounds like fun! Let's go, Takashi!" Rose raised an eyebrow as Hunny and Mori climbed onto the stage, heeled shoes, suits, and all.
"Eh, aren't they going to change?" Lilly asked, eying them make their way onto the stage, Hunny greeting the crowd.
Hikaru rolled his eyes. "They aren't the best in Japan for nothing."
The group watched in fascination with the crowd at the many kicks, punches, and flips performed by the two. Kyoya was in charge of his three bodyguards, hauling the piano out to the courtyard and waiting for Hunny and Mori to exit the stage, before hauling it up a few more agonizing steps.
Tamaki immediately followed, looking like a true gentleman, except for his mask, as he took a seat on the piano bench. He instantly began to play, the courtyard filling with the sweet music. Rose and Lilly closed their eyes, enjoying it for the first time. Kaoru smiled at Lilly's happy expression as she listened to Tamaki being swept away. As the song was drawn to an end, her eyes fluttered open, and without an explanation, she once again headed over to Renge, beginning to talk with her.
"That really was exquisite," Lilly commented, adding, "But you know, wouldn't it be nice for someone to sing with him?"
"YES! Tamaki accompanied by a lucky female student! I can already see it! Now, who to pick…"
"I've recently discovered that Rose is actually quite the singer. She's won quite a few awards at some competitions," Kyoya commented, reading from his little black notebook. He knew exactly where Lilly was going with this.
Rose was frozen. "Crap," she muttered under her breath. She gave Kyoya a death glare. "Stalker."
Lilly was already pushing her sister up to the stage, adding things like, "You'll love it!" and "You haven't sang for a crowd in a while!" Tamaki watched with sincere interest as Rose was dragged over to where he sat. Lilly already had a song picked out, which she whispered to Tamaki. She gave her twin one final push towards the microphone, a thumbs-up, and ran off, beaming to herself.
Tamaki began playing the soft and delicate notes, the tune familiar to Rose. She looked deathly pale as the song was nearing the vocals. She bit her lip, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Hikaru kept wondering what the song was. It sounded familiar, American, but it was translated into Japanese.
The entire group listened, awed by Rose's beautiful alto/mezzo soprano voice (especially Hikaru) as she sang, her eyes still closed, "Say your sorry, that face of an angel comes out, just when you need it to."
The Host Club started to realize whom she was singing about. Rose kept singing, her eyes still closed in fear that she may open them to find tears, "As I pace, back and forth, all this time, cause I honestly believed in you."
Hikaru's eyes widened. He could understand why she looked so sad. "Holding on, the days drag on. Stupid girl, I should've known, I should've known."
Rose opened her eyes, and found that she wasn't crying, at least. Joey Brown. Hikaru grinded his teeth. If only he knew where that idiot was. "That I'm not a princess. This ain't a fairy tale. I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet, lead her up the stairwell. This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town. I was a dreamer before you ever let me down. Now it's too late for you and your white horse… to come around."
The short piano solo began, Rose seeming to recover. She had a sort of determination in her eyes. Hikaru continued to watch, having only eyes for her.
Rose continued in her angelic voice, "Baby I was naïve, got lost in your eyes and never really had a chance." She seemed to get angry at this part, fitting it well, "My mistake, I didn't know to be in love, you had to fight to have the upper hand."
She turned sad again, "I had so many dreams about you and me. Happy endings, now I know. That I'm not a princess. This ain't a fairytale. I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet, lead her up the stairwell. This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town. I was a dreamer before you ever let me down. Now it's too late for you and your white horse… to come around."
The piano whisked them off with its delicate notes at its solo. Lilly bit her lip. Rose had imagined this part for quite a while now. This was usually around the time she would start crying. Lilly looked over at the Host Club, watching, understanding. Her eyes rested on Hikaru. She smiled. "Be her prince, Hikaru," she whispered.
Kaoru looked down at her, taking his eyes off of the performance for a second. "Did you say something?"
"Nothing."
Hikaru watched as Rose seemed to get angry again, looking off to a distant vision, belting, "And there you are on your knees. Begging for forgiveness! Begging for me! Just like I always wanted, but I'm so sorry…"
Her determination returned, her smile showing in her voice, "Cause I'm not your princess, this ain't a fairytale. I'm gonna find someone, someday, who might actually treat me well! This is a big world! That was a small town. There in my rearview mirror disappearing now. And it's too late for you and your white horse… Now it's too late for you and your white horse… to catch me now.. Oh whoa, whoa, whoa-oh, try and catch me now! Oh… It's too late… to catch me now."
The school gave her a thunderous applause, bringing Rose back to reality. She blushed madly, scampering off the stage as quickly as her feet would allow her.
Lilly was beaming. She informed her twin and the Host Club, "Rose, that's the first time since Joey Brown that you've been able to sing that song without crying." Lilly added, winking, "Is it because you've already found 'somebody who might actually treat you well'…?"
Rose's blush grew redder by the second. "N-no!" she stammered, avoiding eye contact with Hikaru. She added, her face growing serious, "Can we not talk about him anymore? I just want to forget the whole thing. He's not worthy of my existence."
Lilly nodded. She turned to Kaoru. "Well, we better try to catch a few more dances before we have to head home."
Kaoru nodded. Before he left, he turned to his twin, winking, "Oh yeah, Hikaru? Kyoya managed to find a horse-drawn carriage, what are the odds? Just ask the Shadow King where it is, you might have fun… and bring Rose along."
"What? Why?" Rose and Hikaru asked at the same time. Their siblings and fellow hosts mentally palmed their foreheads. Could they be anymore oblivious?
Kyoya added coolly, "I suggest you use the carriage. We paid good money for it. It's by the last gazebo, and hurry. The horses are getting impatient."
Hikaru began rubbing his arm, biting his lip. He looked over to Rose, suddenly the idea fairly inviting to him. "I have nothing else to do, anyway. Care to join me?"
Rose blushed, growing sheepish. "Sure." As they began to walk off, she suddenly became her normal self again. "Wait, since when do you know how to drive a horse drawn carriage?"
Hikaru smiled, "It's a long story if you want to know the whole deal."
Rose returned his smile. "We've got time."
"KYAA!" Tamaki cooed, watching the two walk away. "How romantic! Two lost individuals, both broken, come together to heal by sharing a love!"
"It sickens me," Kyoya mumbled, snapping his notebook shut. Little did the others know, he had just checked off: 'Get Hikaru and Rose to use the carriage and talk.' The Shadow King really did have a heart, not to mention he always had a plan.
Hikaru tried being a gentleman by offering to help Rose into the passenger's seats, but she coldly refused and climbed onto where the driver sat. Hikaru shrugged, knowing there was no point in arguing, and hopped up, sitting beside her, taking the reigns. As the horses began to trot, he waited as Rose settled in, then began, "Well, it all started when we held our Ouran Fair…"
By the time Hikaru was finished, adding, "And the girls figured Haruhi was just cosplaying," he suddenly realized that Rose's head was on his shoulder. His cheeks were covered in a tomato red blush, as he focused on the path in front of him.
Rose was suddenly aware of this too, and abruptly sat up, straight as a stick. She cleared her throat, staring ahead as well. "I wonder if Lilly's having a good time right now."
"Come to think of it, you two aren't as close as I had imagined."
"Wow, how polite, Hikaru," Rose rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
He snapped, "I'm just saying!"
Rose sighed, looking back to the horses. She told him, "Well, we're pretty close, considering we didn't know the other existed for the first five years of our lives."
"What?!"
"You heard me right. See, our parents argued a lot before we were born."
"About what?"
"Don't interrupt!" She answered his question anyway, "I don't know, everything. It was an arranged marriage, which they both hated, so they automatically tried to hate each other. I guess the final straw was when my mom got pregnant. The day after Lilly and I were born, our parents filed the divorce papers and presto! Dad got Lilly and Mom got me."
"Really? They were divorced?"
"Yeah, most people don't believe it now. You see, my mom took me to Italy for a few years, until she finally told me I had a twin sister when I was five. Well, first off, I was pissed; because that was a pretty big detail she forgot to tell me. So she gave me our dad's home phone number, and I called right away. He was in France, with Lilly. Lilly picked up, and we talked for hours right there and then. Turns out, Dad told her about me just a week ago, but was still too angry to give her a number."
"Wow."
"Yeah, wow. We talked for at least an hour everyday, trying to catch up on what we had missed for the first five years. It was really sad, because we missed out seeing each other on so many things. Finally, Mom and Dad agreed that we should all take a vacation in Canada for the summer. The first time I saw Lilly at the airport bathroom, the first thing I though was, 'I didn't know I had freckles…' Then we realized who we were and hugged and yelled and cried for a few minutes. We had such a great time that summer, that my parents agreed that they wouldn't keep us separated, and moved in together.
After a while, I guess they realized that they had no real reason to hate each other, and started getting to know each other. Then they realized they were really in love, and got back together. Lilly and I were the flower girls, of course. Ever since then, we've been moving around a lot, until we finally moved here. My parents finally decided they needed to settle down, and you know the rest."
Hikaru sat there, taking it all in. What if he hadn't met Kaoru until he was five? That was unimaginable. "So, you ready to forget you-know-who?"
"More than ready."
"Good. Because if I ever see that bastard, he'll be getting a little piece of my mind!"
Rose laughed, surprisingly, but Hikaru smiled. "C'mon, that's my job!"
They rode on in silence for a few minutes, content on just sitting next to each other. Rose was leaning against Hikaru, admiring the sky. "The moon is beautiful."
Hikaru looked up to the sky, a full moon shining brightly. 'Not as beautiful as you look,' he thought truthfully, watching Rose's happy face. He loved seeing that smile.
"What're you looking at?"
Hikaru blushed, turning back to the path, mumbling, "Nothing."
Rose looked down at her feet, smiling to herself. Hikaru Hitachiin had been staring at her. For some reason, the fact made her giddy and full of joy. But why?
"It's getting late. We better head back," Hikaru commented.
Rose sighed. "I wish we could stay like this a little longer." Hikaru and her eyes grew wide. Rose clamped her hand over her mouth, thinking, 'Crap, did I just let that slip out?!'
Hikaru stuttered, "Y-yeah. The night sure is nice… it's supposed to be the warmest weather we get until after Valentines Day next week."
Rose was thankful for the bluff. "Oh yeah… But, um, this was nice, just talking without feeling like we had to kill each other."
"Hey, that's a first!" They both laughed, watching each other's smiles.
This time when Hikaru offered his hand, Rose accepted it, both of them getting butterflies in their stomach as they held hands. It was over as soon as it began, their siblings walking over, ready to head home.
As the two pairs of twins slid into their limos, Kaoru and Lilly asked their mirror images, "So, did you have a good time?"
Both Hikaru and Rose smiled, remembering the carriage ride along with the rest of the night, mumbling, "Yup."
The Host Club and Gengara sisters couldn't help but feel like they had forgotten something… or rather, someone. Masumi stood in the cold, mumbling, "Damn Rose, stealing away my Hikaru. She doesn't know how lucky she is. Where's Hikaru? He was supposed to give me a ride home. Boy, it's getting chilly…"
Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC, or White Horse by Taylor Swift. It's a wonderful and beautiful song, and if you can, listen to it, because it really describes how Rose felt. But she's better know, thanks to a certain twin... ;P
Bwahaha! Poor Masumi! XD Honestly though, I don't pity her...
So, yeah, you know a little more about the Gengara sisters past, and stoof........ that's all I got o3o
I'm already working on the next chapter, which will hopefully be done sometime soon. Reviews, please, they help me keep going and all that crud! Until next time
(P.S. for those of you who are wondering, Masumi did not die a slow, cold, and lonely death.)
