Author's Note: Writer's block has been a major bitch! I can't even think up anything good for my 'Vows of the Storm' story. Ugh. Well, I'm trying to struggle through on this chapter, so please tell me if it's complete crap. I'm kinda trying to force myself back into the spirit. Eck… Any who, this takes place a few days later, though still in the Christmas Holidays. Please cut me some slack on this one, for it is very late and I had a bit of a spark I wanted to try and run with while I still had it. Ha. If this upsets anyone at their knowledge of the commoner's world, I tried to look at it through the eyes of a Host Club member. They always act so naïve when it comes to Haruhi's lifestyle, so I tried to properly accommodate that…
Review… please? *puppy dog pout*
Subtitle:
...Un scandale dans la fabrication.
Kyouya's Point of View
[Third Persons]
Why did it always happen this way? Tamaki had once again found some new way to irritate the very beginning of the Shadow King's day. This involved his phone blaring the obnoxious ringtone the blonde had chosen for himself on his bedside table, lulling him from a deep sleep.
"What, Tamaki?" The words were a low, feral hiss that would normally frighten most. Seeing as the man was not in front of the demon in person, his fear was lacking severely.
"MY DARLING MISAKI HAS RUNAWAY AGAIN!"
Idiot.
"How long has she been gone, idiot?" grumbles the dark-haired boy, not really caring. The last time this had happened- which was recently- Misaki had merely gone to the garden for a walk and Tamaki had missed her.
"I haven't seen her since last night!"
Now that was troublesome. It was rare the Suou siblings spent a night apart from one another- unless on the whim of their family, that is- and even more unlikely that they not immediately find one another upon their return the following morning. They were a very close-knit pair, most likely making up for lost time. Tamaki treasured Misaki more than any other could possibly believe real.
Kyouya reaches for his glasses, positioning them on his nose perfectly and trying to straighten his messy hair. Sleep still plagued his mind ever-so-gently, but a more pressing matter was at hand. His property was missing. An Ootori does not easily part with something they deem their own, and Misaki was soon to be both by fate andname.
"Have you talked to the other Hosts yet?" Kyouya, ever the reasonable, ambles from his bed and heads toward his bathroom. As soon as he could, he would hang up with the blonde and take a shower before heading on the search for the youngest Suou. After all, even if she was truly not missing, it would become some big deal to the blonde prince. Actually, it had already long since become a big deal apparently.
"Kaoru is the one who made me notice! I did not see my darling little princess last night before bed, but merely blamed it on being sleepy after all our Christmas adventures packed into the last few days." Tamaki pauses on the phone, making a menagerie of strange noises identifiable with trying to pull his slim pants on while holding a cell phone to his ear. "Kaoru has not seen Hikaru since last night either! I had to look for Misaki after he told me that, and realized she was missing! What if someone is going around stealing siblings, Mommy? What am I going to do? Misaki could be in danger! Does Haruhi have a sibling?… OH WHAT IF SHE DOES? SHE'LL BE NEXT TOO! I can't take losing both of them! And…"
Kyouya tunes out the incessant rambling of the moron, a new sprig of emotion slithering like cold ice water down his back. He halts mid-step, growling under his breath. Misaki and Hikaru were missing… together. This would most certainly not do. Jealousy is a very cruel mistress, and thus had embraced the Shadow King as a plague would a dying city. Anger began to burn in the pit of his stomach, making him break Tamaki's ridiculous onslaught with a simple sentence.
"I'll be there in an hour, Tamaki."
Misaki's Point of View
[First Persons]
"Hikaru, are you sure we blend in?" I glance down at my outfit, blinking. Never once had I attempted something so… foreign.
"Of course." He had been a bit on edge, what with his brother not being around, but we could not let that stop us. We had a little game- I mean project!- to work on, and this was simply the most intelligent of ideas!
Or so we thought.
My outfit was very plain today, something I was not at all used to. Being in the society we lived in, it was very uncommon to not 'dress to impress', as one could call it. A pair of skinny jeans and a simple white top with a cream blazer over that to match my flats did not stand out with the crowd at all. No designer names were on these, considering the two of us had shopped- on a very low budget, for this occasion- at a place called Budget World.
Hikaru was just as outlandish- in my opinion- with baggy jeans and a black top with a pair of simple black sneakers and a loose, green jacket. We felt out of place. In fact, we were very out of place…
"It's all part of the project, Misaki. We can do this!" I did not believe him, but nodded despite this, as we began making coffee in the little bookstore we had secured a job in.
"Can you tell me how to make this?"
He stares at the coffee, instant no doubt, and blinks. "Uh…"
We were in for some trouble…
The two of us had left before bedtime last night to stay in a little apartment- a very little apartment- we had rented out for the next two nights. It was, without a doubt, the strangest thing I'd ever done. The project we'd been assigned had seemed complicated at first, but we had never realized just how much so until we stepped into the world of a commoner. No one knew of our little stunt or where we were, our tracks carefully covered, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Besides the fact that we had gotten a job at a commoner's coffee and bookstore that we honestly had never been in before, or even heard of for that matter. The job was simple, make coffee at the request of our customers. Yet, with no experience, we had no idea what in the blue blazes we were doing.
Oh boy…
Hours Later
"WHAT IS GOING ON HIKARU?"
"MAKE IT STOP! WHAT DID YOU DO MISAKI?"
"WHAT DID I DO, WHAT DID YOU DO?"
Machines were screaming in the background, everything boiling over and smoke pouring into the room. We were panicking, unaware of what we had done wrong to make such a horrendous scene. After all, instant coffee was the last thing we knew how to make… Especially considering there were all sorts of machinery to use to make the specialized blends that a few people had requested throughout the day. Obviously, no one had gotten anything they'd properly asked for. A few complaints had been made already, on our behalf, about our poor services and lack of knowledge in our profession. We were failing already…
"GAH! THE TWO OF YOU JUST GO HOME! YOU'RE GOING TO BURN MY SHOP DOWN!" The normally sweet, young manager of the store had already had it with our idiocy in the matter, his ears burning a bright blood-red against his black shirt. "NOW!"
"YES SIR!" We chime, hurrying to leave the store without clocking out properly. In fact, we weren't entirely sure if we had even punched in right…
The stroll home was a taxing, sad walk of shame on our parts. We were trained to be the best at what we did, and here our situation had just gone from bad to worse in a matter of hours. Pathetic!
"Hikaru… I honestly don't think we're cut out for this…" I was already tired, having to walk a full couple of miles towards our temporary home. Normally, a car waited outside for us with a properly dressed chauffeur and the seats warmed to our preferred temperature with a glass of imported water in the built-in cooler.
"Yeah, I agree," he grumbles angrily. He did not take well to failure, and though I usually didn't my bones were too weary to put up more of a protest. 'Defeated' was the only way to describe my current situation.
"Should I call Tama to pick us up?"
"NO! We're going to pass this thing, alright?" He loops an arm around my shoulder in a friendly manner, sighing at the worries. "This working for a paycheck is kind of hard."
"I feel like a fool, to be quite honest. I just know Haruhi will be disappointed with our lack of common skills if she finds out about this…" A small pout pulls at my lips. The idea dons on him and he allows his eyes to widen.
"We can't tell her unless we master it, alright?"
"Deal. Try harder tomorrow?" Haruhi's disapproving eyes were already boring into my skull, scolding me for being such a dunderhead on some of the things she was quite capable of doing.
I did not want to go back, but we had to work as a commoner does to try and make it in the world, as our packet had entailed. Of course, our teacher probably did not expect us to go to such a drastic level as the one we'd chosen. Blame the insane ability of both a Hitachiin and a Suou to go over-the-top with everything they did…
I jiggle the doorknob at our apartment as we finally arrive, looking to him for the key. He shrugs, holding his hands up in defense. Wonderful…
"This day is just getting worse. Let's go ask the guy that owns the place if he has a spare key."
"That's thinking!" He grins playfully, childish glee sweeping over him. "Oh, wait!" He reaches in his pocket and pulls out our little key, unlocking the door easily. A sigh escapes both of us. "I had a few spares made to keep in all my pants in case we needed it."
A sweat drop appears over my head. "Did you think of that, or did your maids?"
"Heh…" We enter the small apartment, baffled at the miniscule size of it in the light. We had barely paid mind to it this morning, considering we were extremely late to our job. Normally, a wake-up call prepared us for such events, but sadly we had decided not to bring any of our usual help. Without another thought, I discard my shoes and flop onto the lumpy, uncomfortable sofa. My jacket was on the floor, ready to be picked up by a maid. It would stay on the floor…
"I wonder how badly the Hosts are freaking out right now…" I chuckle, trying to find a positive in this situation.
"I can promise you that they aren't simply going on with their lives. I wouldn't be surprised if Kyouya has his entire police force looking for you right about now. After all, you didn't even give him a heads up." Hikaru places himself on the couch next to me, groaning as a spring stabs him in a painful place on his rear. Guilt trickles over me, though I had promised not to tell a soul.
"Hikaru… May I confide something in you?"
"Yeah, go ahead." He begins cleaning out his ear with his pinky, eyes closed while trying to seem disinterested.
"This is something you can't tell anyone… not even Kaoru."
That perked his interest. He opens his eyes, stopping his assault on his inner ear and tilts his head. The look was an innocent one, a look I would more often associate with Kaoru. I was about ready to tell them apart. That was one point of this mission; a means to an end on the ridiculous game they so often tried to play with me.
"Uh, alright?"
"Well, you've become one of my greatest friends out of the Club," I murmur, rubbing my chin in thought. "I think I'm falling in love with Kyouya."
Hikaru coughs at that, pounding his chest for a chance to breathe. Maybe I had sprung that one on him too quickly… "W-what?"
"I can't help it. I've just seen a side of him that no one else really has, or so I think." I blink a few times, glancing at the dark television. "I… dare I say it?… I want to believe he has a few of the affections for me that I have for him as well." And thus, I proceeded in telling him exactly how magical the kiss we shared a few nights ago had been. My first real kiss, one that I could never compare to anything I'd ever done before.
"Misaki, I honestly support you and him, though I believe it will be a hard life you've condemned yourself to. An Ootori is not an easy person to get along with. Trust me, I know from years of experience with the Shadow King himself…" Hikaru glances at the ceiling, looking away quickly when he realizes just how many cobwebs inhabited it. "And if he really does share those feelings with you, can you imagine what is going through his head right now? I mean, think about it… Me and you are both missing, at the same time. He's probably thinking a scandal is going on."
I swallow a very dominant lump in my throat. "Uh, I never thought of that…"
"I bet he's silently fuming right now…"
At the image that appears in my head, I could not stifle a laugh despite the fear rising with bile in the back of my esophagus. "Poor Host Club! I'm glad I'm not there to witness it!"
"I have an idea to get our minds off of it," he suddenly grins, standing up triumphantly. "Let's go get commoner food and coffee, and perfect our skills for tomorrow!"
"Yeah!" I throw my hands in the air and jump up, a smile much like that of a maniac slithering over my face. "To the commoner grocery store!"
Kyouya and Tamaki's Point of View
[Third Persons]
We had long since split up into groups to try and find the missing Host Club members. Haruhi and Kaoru had decided to look in the shopping district and Honey had gone with Mori to the nearby parks to try and happen upon them. Meanwhile, Kyouya and Tamaki had decided- for some strange reason- to go to the commoner side of the city. Kyouya had figured out that it had something to do with their project, considering that Misaki and Hikaru were partners. That, and he was fuming over their disappearance.
"Kyouya, I think you might want to calm down," Tamaki carefully chides his friend as they walk past a coffee shop and bookstore they had never heard of, or seen.
The Shadow King stops, glaring over his shoulder at the blonde, frightening him immensely. Without a word, the dark-haired man continues walk and peering through every store they came to pass. The only thing out of the ordinary was a very unhappy looking shopkeeper within a bookstore cleaning up a ferocious mess.
"Kyouya, can we stop for instant coffee?" Tamaki takes a chance at the silly question, a pout coming to his lips. Yes, he wanted to find his sister, but considering the darker image had yet to have anything caffeinated to drink since his rude awakening, it sounded like a good idea. "They have fancier things too, I think…"
Without a word, Kyouya glances towards the bookstore and enters with a grunt as a notification. His normal, fake smile had not yet been seen on this day, and thus Tamaki felt the worry radiating off the man. Worry, and anger, no doubt…
"Kind sir, we would like to order a few drinks," Tamaki gently calls to the man cleaning up the massive mess. It looked like an atomic bomb of espresso went off within the smaller little part of the bookstore.
"Considering I'm the only one on the floor that evens know what they're doing back here, then certainly," grumbles the man in response.
After placing their order, Tamaki relishes in his hot liquid as it cascades down his throat. Being the nosy Suou he was, he could not help but further the conversation.
"May I ask what happened?"
"Two of my newest, bumbling idiots of employees! That's what happened!" The man brushes his dirty blonde hair from his eyes, growling under his breath. "They looked competent enough when I hired them, but I was completely wrong! Just because they were attractive, high school students, I thought they would bring more business. But no! They have to ruin everything."
A light bulb seemingly goes off in the Ootori's head. "What did they look like?"
"Some tall, lanky fellow with orange-red hair and a petite, pretty little blonde girl that spoke French well enough to discern everything on the menu," the man replies, thinking nothing of it. Tamaki glances towards
Kyouya, seeing realization in the man's eyes. "Where are they?"
"I have no idea! But when they come back tomorrow, they'll be lucky if I don't fire them!" With that said, the man exits to the back.
"Kyouya…"
"We'll come back tomorrow, Tamaki."
Misaki's Point of View
[First Persons]
"Who knew it was so hard to shop in a commoners supermarket!" I groan, flopping down on the god-forsaken couch again. I had just recently changed in a comfortable pair of cheap pajamas, feeling the irritating itch of the fabric against my skin.
"There were so many things to choose from," Hikaru whines, also in his sleep attire as he sprawls in a recliner nearby. A very ugly, off-green recliner that matched none of the décor…
"Let's just get to our rooms, alright?" I run my fingers through my hair.
"We'll make coffee tomorrow. Until then, I'm ready for this stupid game to be done with!" He didn't move from his seat.
"Hey, Hikaru?"
"Hmm?"
"Carry me to my room. My feet hurt."
…"Carry me first."