A/N: …Guess what today is…...? HAPPY DAY ONE OF OURAN BOMB WEEK! Yay! I missed you all so very, very much! How we doing? Good? Not so good? Should I just shut up and get on with the story? Well, I'm going to be a sweetheart here and give you a quick recapity doo, ok? And to all of my fans that don't speak English as a first language, I'm so sorry for saying things like recapity doo. A recap, but more fun. Alright then! A recap…ity doo…
When we last left off, there was a bit of an incident. Lana had her first panic attack in front of Kasanoda, who handled it like a dream for never handling it before. And everything is a little peachier than before. Kyoya's come around to the idea of having Kasanoda around. He helped out his woman, he's ok in his book. His scary black book…That may or may not be a Death Note, according to potential internet lore. But! For now, I'm going to shut up and let you do that one thing you come here to do. I'll be waiting at the bottom…I'll miss you. But I can wait.
It's hard to believe it's already March. It feels like just yesterday I was flying back to Tokyo with the host club. Now, I'm only a couple months away from graduating. Kyoya and I would be moving to New York, regardless of our NYU acceptance. Life was coming up roses and I wasn't going to complain.
And possibly the best part of everything, we had a break coming up! Only a couple weeks away. Kyoya and I had already talked it over. While the others were going out of the country-Hikaru and Kaoru in Switzerland, Tamaki and Haruhi sneaking to France, and Honey and Mori to Dubai-Kyoya nd I decided to stay local. I liked our rut in Karuizawa. And Misuzu always let us in with open arms. Granted, he'd turn around and give Ranka a full report of what we did, but that was fine. Just a way he showed he cared.
I got past everyone's little idiosyncricies when it came to me. Even Ritsu was starting to develop a couple. Especially when we'd hang out after school. Anyone that would even look at me or in my general direction would meet Ritsu's icy glare, crap themselves, and go about their lives. At least he kept me safe. It's like having Mori, but a little more threatening.
When I walked into the host club on a relatively rainy Thursday afternoon, the whole room looked like its own world. My god, this place looekd like paradise. The host club must be going tropical today. As the delivery guys were setting everything up, the host club was huddled around Kyoya's desk. Weird. Usually, Kyoya doesn't let anyone other than me get even that close.
"Hey, guys," I approached them slowly, so I didn't spook them, "What's going on?"
"Lana," Kyoya pulled me down to his lap, "I'm so glad you're here."
"You're scaring me, baby," I shook a little, "Talk to me. The last time something like this happened to me, I ended up in the hospital."
"It's nothing like that," he assured, showing me a large envelope, "Do you know what this is?"
"It appears to be an envelope," I jabbed, reading the return address. NYU...? Now, I understood, "Is this what I think it is?"
"I thought we could open it together," Kyoya ran his thumb under the seal.
"It's our first acceptance letter," Tamaki got all excited, "Open it, Kyoya!"
"Like we don't already know what it says," I kissed his cheek.
"Merely a formality," Kyoya pulled the letter out and read it to himself.
"Well?" Hikaru asked.
"What's it say, Kyoya-senpai?" Kaoru waited with baited breath, just like the rest of us.
"Surprise, surprise," Kyoya smirked, "I've been accepted. I'll be starting at NYU in the fall."
"I'm so proud of you," I cuddled into his shoulder, "If you got your acceptance letter already, I wonder if mine's come in yet."
"I don't see why not," he figured.
"Congratulations, Kyoya-senpai," Haruhi praised, "I know yours is going to say the same thing, Lana."
"She's number three in our class," Kyoya gushed, "They'd be lucky to have you."
"Anyone would be lucky to have her!" Tamaki pulled me away from my boyfriend, hugging me tight, "It's Lana!"
"Hold on," I managed to get out of his grip, "I'm number three?"
"That's right," Kyoya got me back.
"Who's one and two?" I wondered.
"Tamaki's number one," he told me, "I'm number two."
"And I'm number three," I laid my head on Kyoya's shoulder.
"That you are," Kyoya cradled me, "Could we have a moment, please?"
"Sure," Haruhi herded the others away from us.
"What was that all about?" I asked.
"Come here," Kyoya took my hand and led me to one of the changing rooms.
"Again," I started to sweat, "Making me a little nervous, Kyoya."
"Not my intentions," he pulled me down to the floor, cradling me against his chset, "You know, Lana, this letter is only the beginning for us."
"What do you mean?" I reveled in his embrace.
"We'll be in New York in the fall," Kyoya put it into perspective, "Our future together is looking awfully bright. It'll be just the two of us and I can't wait."
"Me either," I cuddled into him, "Are you sure you'll be ok with leaving Japan?"
"I'll be with you," he kissed my forehead, "I'm sure we'll be fine."
Oh, yeah. We'll be fine, "You and me in New York."
"Our own penthouse," Kyoya painted one hell of a picture, "Park Avenue? Every day a complete mystery. The city life."
"Color me sold," I let out a dreamy sigh, "Walks in Central Park, Broadway, Rhiannon being right there."
"Soon, sweetheart," he promised, "Two days after graduation, we can leave for New York."
"Two days?" I gave him a look, "Why?"
"You missed out on the one we had for Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai," Kyoya grinned, "But there's no party quite like a host club graduation party. We'll want a day to recover if our past is any indication."
"What's going to happen to the host club?" I asked, "Once you and Tamaki are gone, there goes the president and the vice president."
"We have that taken care of," he pushed my hair out of my face, "Haruhi is pegged to be president. Tamaki's been showing her what to do. From there, she'll pick the new members."
"It won't be the same," I thought, "I don't think I could come in here if it's not you and Tamaki and Honey and Mori and the twins and Haruhi. It's just not right."
"The host club will still have a purpose," Kyoya pulled me onto my feet, "And it worked for you. Who's to say it won't work for someone else?"
"Look at you," I poked at my boyfriend's chest, "Your heart is always in the right place, Kyoya Ootori. Let no one ever tell you different."
"I won't," he swore, "Now, if it's all the same to you, for the next couple of months, I still have a host club to run. Are you sticking around?"
"Of course," I stole a quick kiss, "As if I have anywhere else to be."
"You're more than welcome to live a life outside the host club," Kyoya assured, "You don't always have to be around here."
"I know," I smiled, "But all my friends are here, with the exception of Ritsu, but he's got other things going on, too. Why would I want to be anywhere else?"
"You've skipped the host club before," he pointed out.
"Yeah," I remembered, "To go to the aquarium and level out. I don't need to do that."
"Good," Kyoya threw his arm around me, "In that case, I have a slight proposal for you."
"Oh?" he piqued my interest, "And what's that?"
"Would you care to be an honorary host for the day?" he offered, "Not having to take any clients, mind you."
"Me?" I wondered, "I thought you told Tamaki a long time ago that me becoming a host was out of the question."
"I said that forcing you to be a host was out of the question," Kyoya corrected me, "I didn't say it'd never be offered."
"Such a shame you're majoring in fine arts," I teased, "Because you'd make a hell of a lawyer."
"So?" he bit his lip, making me swoon a little bit, "Are you going to take a spot in the host club today?"
"You know what?" I thought for a second, "Why not? What do you want me to be?"
"There's a costume hanging in one of the dressing rooms for you," Kyoya smirked, "I thought you'd say yes."
"So, you had it made for me anyway," I rolled my eyes, walking into the dressing room, "Kyoya, have I told you lately that you're occasionally a bit much?"
"I leave that for Tamaki," he brushed me off, "No one ever expects it from me, but in all seriousness, I can be worse than him."
"Clearly," I saw a muted mermaid costume hanging on the hook. Damn. Not bad, "I swear to God…"
"It's nice to know you're religious, Lana," Kyoya teased.
"It's not that," I was ready to backhand him, "Do you always see me as your mermaid?"
"Of course," he stuck his hand through the curtain, holding onto mine, "You're my Ariel, Lana."
"And you my Eric," I had my moments where Kyoya's being too extra is a bit much for me to handle, but then…Then he does something like this. And once the fall hits, I'm going to be living with him. It's going to be like this every single day. And I don't have a problem with that at all. I tied my top on, threw on the long, chiffon cardigan that went with it (I still had scars no one needed to see. I covered mine in makeup the night of the party, but today, I skipped it), and slid my tail up my legs, "Well? Good enough?"
"More than good enough," Kyoya pulled me in for one last kiss, "Go on. There's a small pool out there for you to lay in. Is that alright with you?"
"Definitely," I could use the water anyway. It's hotter than hell in here. Understandable, though. If it's going to be a tropical paradise in here, it might as well feel like it, too. I made myself comfortable in the shallow pool of water and idly splashed my tail.
I saw how Kyoya saw me as his Ariel. Despite my anxiety, I wanted to be with the people, too. I wanted to feel sun on my skin. I wanted to know what life was like above water for a change. And the ones I knew on land understood me better than I understood myself. I'd love to see what the shore above had to offer. I don't know when and I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now. Just him and me…Then I could be part of his world…
"Lana?" Haruhi looked me over, "You ok?"
"Yeah," I let out a heavy sigh, "Just got wrapped up in a weird headspace. Why?"
"We're about to open the doors," she told, "Are you ready for your first excursion as a host?"
"I'm good," I promised, "Tell Hikaru and Kaoru to grab the doors."
"Alright." Haruhi was really good about that, too. That whole looking out for me. She wasn't as overbearing as Tamaki or the twins, but she was on the same level as Kyoya.
As the host club filled with its usual clients, I just watched the ripples in the water. Not a care in the world. That's when it hit me. I was actually a host for a minute. I'm hosting as we speak. I never thought I'd see the day. But none of the others saw me as a host. For the moment, I was merely the mermaid sitting in the lagoon by herself. A part of their world…
"Hey, Lana," Tamaki sat on one of my rocks.
"Hi, Tamaki," I smiled, "What can I do for you?"
"You have clients."
"I have what?" I gave him a look, "No. I don't get clients."
"Some of our guests have requested to sit with you," Tamaki explained, "It's entirely up to you whether or not you accept them."
I did a quick checklist of how stable I was right now. Let's see. I'm not twitching at the thought of socialization. I'm not checking for exits. I've taken my medication today. We're good to go, "Ok. They can come sit with me."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Alright, ladies," Tamaki ushered them over to me, "This is Lana. I'm sure you've heard all about her. She's a rather exceptional commoner, much like Haruhi, but not quite the same as our naturalist."
"What type of host is she, Tamaki?" one of the girls asked.
"Well," he thought it over, shooting a wink at me, "If I had to give her a type…Kyoya?"
"What?" Kyoya called from his desk in the corner.
"If you had to give Lana a host type," Tamaki asked, "What would it be?"
"She's not a host, Tamaki," Kyoya put his foot down, "We've been over this."
"Speaking hypothetically."
"A game of hypotheticals, huh?" Kyoya thought it over for a minute or two, "If you're thinking about giving Lana a character type, I'm not the one to talk to about it. Find Renge."
"Come on, Kyoya," I chimed in, "If you have to give me a type, what would I be?"
"Honestly…" I knew if I said something, he'd play along, "She's the gentle type. Shy, quiet, but once we got her to open up to us, she's caring, nurturing. She's more of the mother of the host club than I am. If our guests are looking for a crying shoulder, there's no one that can solve emotional problems better than Lana."
While the others were swooning off to the side, I did all I could to keep myself from crying happy tears. I couldn't cry now. I had clients, "Kyoya…?"
"Yes, Lana?"
"Aishiteru…" I blushed.
Kyoya got up from his desk, only to press a soft kiss on my forehead, "I love you, too. Now, I have a little work to do. Will you be alright without me for a while?"
"I think so," I let him go.
And so, my afternoon pressed on with a steady stream of clients coming through. All with questions ranging from my relationship with Kyoya to more about me to compliments on my costume and how pretty it made me. Maybe I've finally made it. Maybe I was finally a part of the world my prince lived in every day. Was this what it felt like to walk in the sun for a change?
When I went home after the host club closed for the day, I was riding out the most beautiful high. Showered in nothing but compliments and love and adoration. Was this what the host club got every single day? I could see why they did it. But I knew better. It wasn't just for the ego inflation. They really were doing the world a great service.
Even though I probably drank my weight in tea in the music room, I put a kettle on anyway. As I clicked the stove on, a familiar pair of arms wrapped themselves around me, "I'm so proud of you today, Lana."
"For what?" I asked, falling to the couch with my boyfriend to catch me.
"For actually hosting today," he kissed my cheek, "And keeping as level headed as you did. That took a lot for you."
"In all seriousness," I shrugged, "It didn't feel that difficult. It was…dare I say…kind of fun."
"You should host more often then," Kyoya suggested, "As much as I'd love to stick around here, I heed to be heading home. Are you ok? Do you need anything before I go?"
"I could do with a kiss," I bit my lip.
"That's a given," he pulled me into the deepest, most sincere kiss, shaking me to my toes, "I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Sure will." I hated to see that boy go. But I knew he'd come back. He always did.
Now was time for me to sit back, kick my feet up, maybe run a bath. That sounded like a good idea. I was already in a nice, mellow headspace. Why not? I deserved it, dammit. I hosted today! I think I earned a little bit of me time. My kettle whistled and I poured myself a cup of chamomile into a standard white cup. Nothing fancy. I didn't want to bring any of my good china into the bathtub with me. Without another thought, I slipped into the warm water.
Ring, ring.
Damn, Kyoya. Miss me already? Huh…Not Kyoya, "Hey, Rhi."
"Hey, Lana," Rhiannon's usual husky voice sounded even more gravely, "How you doing, sweetie?"
"Not bad at all," I reported, "What about you? Are you ok?"
I knew how detrimental those three little words can be when someone's upset. Nothing set me off more than someone asking if I was ok, but it had to be done, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I'm also lying profusely."
"What's up?" I went from confused to concerned real quick.
"Where are you right now?" Rhiannon asked.
"I'm laying in my bathtub."
"And you've taken your meds today?"
"All of them."
"Good," she let out a heavy sigh, "You know how I always come through for you when you need someone to talk you down from a panic attack?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "Why?"
"I kind of need you to do the same for me," Rhiannon's voice broke, "I'm freaking out here and you're probably the best person I could talk to right now."
"Rhiannon," I shook a little, "What's going on?"
"You're not the only one that doesn't do well with doctors, kid…"
A/N: And we leave it there. Why? Because I'm a jerk. Fear not, my loves. For another chapter waits just around the corner tomorrow! Where we will answer such questions as: Where is Lana's NYU letter? Is she going to become a full time host? And what the hell is going on with Rhiannon? All these questions and many more will be answered tomorrow! Pinky promise. But I'm also super sorry this is up so late. I've been out all day and there's a possibility of it being another late one tomorrow, too. Regardless, I'll see you next chapter! xx