A/N: Special thanks go to Momochan77, RainbowUnicornStarChild, JokersBatman, aandm20, M.v.j.M, niyah606, Ariadne Falcon, Zombiesunshineyura, colorfulimagination123, SunnyGold, InstantWaterJustAddWater, KoreanMusicFan, angle fish, kage kitsune 14, blaze424, and Rsur Thorai for following and faving!
BizzyLizy: I'm sorry it took so long! And yeah, ends are bittersweet.
YuYuHakushoObsesser: I'm so sorry it took so long! Life got really crazy as it does and work and school just piles up lol.
Thing 1 (Guest): Haha thank you!
"And you're telling me this just now?!"
"I only discovered it myself five minutes ago!" Lorena sighed exasperatedly. "Look, they just want to come and see you, see how you're doing."
"They don't want anything to do with me! They disowned me, remember?"
"Just because they disowned you doesn't mean that they don't want anything to do with you."
"That makes no sense! He's basically told me that I'm not his daughter anymore, we're strangers."
"No, you guys aren't strangers. Just because he disowned you doesn't mean that he doesn't have a right to know what's happening in your life."
"I'm having trouble keeping up with your thought process here."
Elena sighed on the other end of the phone, "Look, I told dad about your school's fair because I felt bad for you. You shouldn't have to be so alone. It was your choice to leave the family, after all."
Lorena's anger overwhelmed her, "I didn't need your pity then and I sure as hell don't need it now!"
"Don't you yell at me!"
Controlling her anger, she jabbed the red button on her phone and stuffed it back in her bag. She stopped and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
"Is there something you'd like to share?"
Lorena looked to the doorway of the classroom, "I'm not in the mood, Kyoya."
"Nor am I." He walked towards her, sure steps filling the room, "That's why you should tell me now what's got you like this. We have enough to deal with already, I can't have any more surprises."
She sighed again, "Just my father and stepmother, they won't cause any trouble for you, just for me. They've decided to visit the Ouran Fair today." Kyoya hummed. "I'll take care of them, you focus on this whole Tamaki situation."
"Very well, I'm depending on you."
"Wow, how did those words taste?"
"Bitter."
"I can't understand you when you sign at me so fast, slow down."
I said, "Can you translate for me again? A business partner of my family's is hosting a party and it would make things a lot easier if you were there to be my voice."
Lorena sighed lightheartedly, "Of course." He hugged her happily. "What would you do without me?"
Probably just hire a translator.
She slapped his arm lightly, "Jerk."
Lorena positioned herself so that she could keep one eye on the front door and one eye on Haruhi, who had been requested by Éclair. It was strange, she was here but Tamaki was not.
Lorena couldn't help but hate the girl, her pompous posture and condescending speech. The way she tried to manipulate all of the Hosts into dancing to her twisted tune, it sickened her. But there wasn't anything she could do about her presence, she could only avoid her at all costs.
As Mizuno continued to sign something at her-presumably about the business partner she would be translating for-Lorena became lost in thought. She was trying to find some solution for this whole situation with Tamaki. We could always kill her. She shook her head, Nah, too much paperwork.
Lorena sighed tiredly, "Mizuno, as much as I love you, don't you have something better to do with your time?"
Nope. He grinned cheekily.
"Time to pick up a hobby, then." She pushed him towards the door, "Go do something productive, nothing's happening here."
What's wrong? She stopped, Something's been bothering you lately, why else would you be so eager to get rid of me?
She swallowed the truth and covered it up with a smile, "It's nothing important. Now go!" With a laugh she pushed him out the door, smile disappearing as soon as he was out of eye sight.
She turned from the door and began to cross the room to check in on the other hosts when she was stopped by a tentative voice, "LoLo?"
Turning around, she faced her smiling father and scowling stepmother.
"What are you doing here, Leo?" She crossed her arms.
Her father looked hurt, "Leo? Why are you so formal with me?"
"Does it really need explaining?"
"Yes!" Noticing the glances of other parents, he lowered his voice back to a normal level. "I hope you don't think that by signing our agreement that that means that I don't want anything to do with you anymore?"
Lorena crossed her arms, "Doesn't it?"
"Of course not!"
Lorena opened her mouth to respond but stopped herself, "Let's take this somewhere else, it's not appropriate to talk about this here. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other guests to attend to."
She turned to walk away but was blocked by Theresa, "That's no way to treat your parents. Show some respect." Her cold eyes looked down on her, challenging.
Lorena raised an eyebrow, "I shall show respect to my father and you when you earn it."
Theresa sneered at her, "How dare you-" She grabbed her arm harshly, perfectly manicured nails digging into her skin.
Lorena tensed, remembering all the nights she was afraid the insults, screaming, and emotional torture would turn into punches and kicks. Concealing her panic, she calmly pried Theresa's hand off of her arm, not saying a word until she was free. Theresa let her, too shocked at how emotionally detached she was to them to resist or retaliate. "Now, if you'll excuse me-"
Kyoya came up behind Lorena and pulled her to his side from in between the two adults. He smoothly took Theresa's hand and kissed her knuckles, greeting her. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting yet, I apologize. I am Kyoya Ootori, and you are?"
She regarded him analytically, "Theresa Darrow, this is my husband, Leo Darrow."
Kyoya faced Leo and shook his hand, "A pleasure to meet you, sir." He faced the both of them, "I must thank you for coming from so far just to visit the Host Club at our Ouran Fair. I apologize, but I need to steal Lorena away from you, I require her help in an important matter." He began to nudge her away from them, "Again, a pleasure meeting you both."
He kept one arm around Lorena's waist as they walked away, keeping her at his side. Behind them, Leo and Theresa also walked away to who-cares-where.
Lorena sighed when they disappeared behind the main doors, "Thank you, Kyoya. I owe you one."
"Indeed. I trust you can handle this situation from here?"
"Yes, I'll handle it after the fair ends. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
As they walked towards the others they could see Éclair stand up from her seat across from Haruhi, leaving her looking rather depressed.
Their paths soon split, Kyoya went to talk to Haruhi, who hadn't left the table yet, and Lorena went to join Honey and Takashi, who were waving her over to come join them.
Lorena, Takashi, and Honey entertained their guests to the best of their abilities, making sure everyone was having fun and enjoying themselves.
While making sure everyone else was smiling and laughing, Lorena could not say that she was at all happy herself. She missed Tamaki, even his annoying antics and bad habit of calling her "his precious daughter."
While she always said he was annoying and too loud for her, she honestly liked his flamboyancy. She always felt loved around him, wanted.
Before moving to Japan, Lorena had not been subjected to much love at all, at least, not since Jenna's death. Jenna was still an open wound for Lorena, the pain still raw and fresh. Every day, she thought about her twin, how she could never meet these amazing people she called her friends, how she could never share the laughter, or the tears, or the anger. She could never again share anything with her twin, and knowing this crushed her.
But these people, these Hosts, they took away some of that pain, softened it. For while she smiled with her friends she did not forget Jenna, but remembered her. In Jenna's memory she would live, she would laugh, she would cry, she would scream…she would feel.
She would love.
Lorena knew that Jenna would want her to live, to make new memories, to go on crazy adventures so that when they found each other again…she would have stories to tell for the rest of eternity. An eternity together, with their new family.
Lorena fiddled with the frills on her dress for what must have been the tenth time in ten minutes, Hikaru once again slapping her hands away to fix what she had messed up.
The Hosts were all dressed up in 17th century French costumes for the parade they would be making around the Ouran campus to finish off the Ouran Fair. Kyoya was in purple, Hikaru in light blue, Kaoru in green, Honey in orange, Takashi in dark blue, Haruhi in pink, and finally Lorena in red. Obviously, Haruhi and Lorena were the only one's dressed as girls, their dresses the exact same except for color.
Kyoya sighed heavily and closed his phone, there was no answer to his calls.
"I can't believe Tamaki-sempai really didn't show up today." Haruhi muttered, sadness in her eyes.
Kyoya flipped his phone open again and began dialing another number. There was an answer. "Shima-san? It's been too long, this is Kyoya." He paused to let the other person speak, "That idiot. Tamaki is planning to leave for France."
"Tama-chan is leaving?!" Honey exclaimed.
"You've got to be kidding! We can't just let this end so suddenly!"
"Hikaru…"
Lorena placed her hand on Haruhi's shoulder, she knew how much Haruhi loved Tamaki.
Kyoya put the phone up to his ear again, "Yes?" A pause, "When is he leaving for France?" He stared hard out the window, "That soon?" They saw something red flash by the window, leaving the campus, "Tamaki?!" Everyone but Haruhi huddled around the window, watching the sports car exit the campus.
"The Ouran Fair isn't over yet!" Hikaru called out.
"My family's car should be in the parking lot!" Kyoya pushed them all towards the door, he called to Haruhi's motionless figure, "Let's go, Haruhi!"
They all ran to the Ootori's black limousine, Lorena had to slow down and take off her heels in order to catch up and run with them.
"We are in a hurry, head out at once." Kyoya ordered the driver. The driver sputtered. "What's wrong?"
"T-the thing is…" Dark figures emerged between cars, blocking all paths of escape. Protectively, Hikaru and Kaoru put their arms in front of Lorena and Haruhi, attempting to nudge them backwards to stand behind them.
"I see. What are your orders? Were you ordered to protect Lady Éclair?"
One of the secret police spoke up, "I am truly sorry that it has come to this, but we answer to your father."
Kyoya slammed his fist onto the car, denting the hood, "Damn it!"
"Damn, Kyoya, remind me to get you a self-help book…" Lorena's wit went unanswered.
"I'm terribly sorry," the policeman said, "but we cannot allow anyone to leave. Even if we must do so by force."
Just as they took a step forward to detain them, a horse and carriage came crashing through their ranks, policemen skittering away so as not to get hit.
Honey and Takashi jumped out of the carriage, "Take the carriage," Takashi told them, "if you take the back hills bypass you can cut them off."
"It's Haninozuka! And Morinozuka!" The policemen backed away in fright, remembering their last run in with Honey and Mori.
Hikaru and Kaoru jumped up into the carriage, Kyoya pushing Haruhi into it after them. "Rena-chan-" Kaoru held out his hand to her.
"No, I'll just slow you guys down. Go!" And with a whip of the reins, the horses took off at a full run, the policemen scattering once again out of their way.
"What are you doing?! Stop that carriage-" The policemen, presumably the leader, began to order only to be knocked out by Honey.
"Takashi," Honey started, "don't go easy on 'em!" He jumped into the crowd, ready to fight.
"I know." Was all Takashi had to say as he-rather comically-spun two policemen around and threw them.
Lorena tried to stay off to the side with Kyoya and let the other two take care of the rest. She chewed her lip and wrung her hands nervously, she was worried for her friends, Tamaki included.
It wasn't long until Honey and Takashi had taken care of all the policemen, leaving them stunned and/or unconscious in a huge pile. "I told you, picking on my friends was a no-no!" Honey scolded them.
Lorena cringed at Takashi cracking his neck over and over again, it was like she could feel her own neck bones shifting and grinding just because she heard him doing it.
"What do we do now?" Lorena asked no one in particular. She couldn't stand the thought of just sitting around and waiting, and yet there was no way they could catch up with Tamaki or the twins and Haruhi.
Kyoya once again went to the window of his family's car to talk to the driver, "So, what do you say, will you drive us now?"
The poor driver was so pale and shaking that he could barely hit the button to unlock the doors, but he managed to and they all piled in.
They all sat in the limo in a tense silence, they decided to head towards the airport the way the twins and Haruhi had gone, hoping they stopped him in time. It wasn't long until they stopped and picked up Hikaru and Kaoru, they told them about how Haruhi had gone on alone since Hikaru had been thrown from the carriage and broken his arm.
They were coming up to the bridge when they spotted two silhouettes falling. A gasp escaped Lorena's mouth before she could catch it, her hands flying to the ones next to her, one grasping Honey's, and the other Takashi's.
They practically burst out of the limo and ran to Haruhi and Tamaki, who were miraculously okay.
Honey was the first to call out to them, "Tama-chan! Haru-chan!"
The twins followed, "Boss!"
When they were finally close enough Lorena threw her arms around Haruhi, quickly checking for injuries, then hugging her in relief. Lorena took off her over coat and draped it over Haruhi's shoulders.
"It's not even cold out, Rena-chan…" Haruhi grumbled.
"Haruhi," Lorena raised an eyebrow at her, "you're wearing a white dress."
A shocked Oh slipped from Haruhi's lips and she looked down at herself under the coat, quickly looking back up and blushing beet red. Lorena just laughed at her friend and threw her arm around her once more, leading her to the car.
At the end of the night, everyone had gathered in the main courtyard to dance under the stars. The orchestra played beautifully, the yellow blossomed trees swayed in the wind, dancing at their own pace, and the people flowed onto and off the dancefloor the way the ocean's tides move. In and out, in and out, change the partner, change the pace, change the dance, everything kept changing.
To start off, Lorena danced with some of her guests, the males more eager, the females a little shy, but easy to persuade. Lorena was dancing with Misa, the girl who had confessed to her not too long ago when Kyoya cut in. They danced for a couple minutes, a comfortable silence between them, merely enjoying each other's company.
Then Hikaru cut in, it was a little awkward to dance with him, broken arm and all, but Lorena made sure to be extra careful. They were making plans for another sleepover when Kaoru cut in, who obviously agreed to it.
Dancing with Kaoru was fun, he's always been a person who tries his best to make people feel at ease, lets them be themselves, and Lorena always liked that about him.
Lorena decided to change it up a bit and instead cut in on Haruhi's dance with Hikaru, with no small amount of awkwardness they decided that Lorena would lead the dance. They giggled and poked fun at each other, generally just making idle chit-chat and enjoying the peace.
A tug on Lorena's dress signaled her that it was now Honey's turn to cut in. Being so short, Lorena had to hold him as they "danced," allowing herself to spin in lazy circles and funny loops.
Then it was Tamaki who stopped her spinning, he looked nervous about it though, he hadn't really gotten the chance to talk to Lorena about everything that had happened yet, he was afraid that she was mad at him. She just shook her head at him and punched his shoulder lightly, "You're such an idiot," she laughed, his scared face soon turned into a happy one, "but I still love you, idiot or not." They danced for a couple minutes, mostly content with silence, though Lorena would occasionally hear him mutter something about, "His precious daughter loves him" and "A perfect family" and things like that.
Lastly, Takashi cut in, sending Tamaki towards Haruhi. He took Lorena's hand and danced slowly with her, not once did his eyes stray from her face. They danced for a few minutes, the world shrank and only existed in the space between them, the music faded, and the crowd disappeared, the only thing they cared about, was each other. Takashi broke the silence, "Have you thought more about us?"
"Yes." She nodded, a smile spread across her face, "I want to give it a try."
He too smiled and lowered his head just to be closer to her, in a lowered voice he asked, "May I kiss you?"
Lorena could feel the warmth in her heart overflowing, "Maybe this isn't the best place, your guests would be heartbroken." She teased, brushing her nose against his to torture him even further.
"And afterwards?"
Lorena giggled, "We'll see."
"You're a tease." He smirked.
"And you're a giant."
Their playful conversation ended when beautiful fireworks suddenly went off, lighting up the night sky in different hues.
It was a night they would all remember, and one that Lorena would treasure forever.
A/N: I know I know, it's been ridiculously long since I've updated, but writer's block, school, work, family problems, and all that fun stuff just kept piling up and up. So, feel free to tell me what you think, please be brutally honest. All I can say is, "I tried."
IMPORTANT: This is not the end! There will be an epilogue!