Shards
A/N: Please note that all of this chapter is basically a retelling of the events of that episode that have not yet been covered, most dialogue read is quoted. Only three lines or so have anything that might ever be worth thinking about again, and even they can easily be skipped. As such, this chapter is not necessary for you to read, I simply didn't feel comfortable skipping all of this. Most of the bits you might feel the need to read are during the party, where I explain a few things I felt needed explaining.
ALSO: You may want to read the bottom part of the author's note at the bottom, as it has some information.
Haruhi had grown proficient at following, and was now learning to lead with Kasugazaki's help.
The other hosts watched in amusement, Hunny even requesting Mori spin him about as well. Well, mostly amusement. Tamaki seemed positively down trodden, and the twins were the first to comment on it.
"Why so gloomy boss?" They asked
"I bet it's because he wants to dance with Haruhi."
"Too bad he's way too tall to even think about standing in place of a woman." Something in Kaoru's tone implied that it was not actually all that unfortunate
(Most of his current state was actually caused by the shame he felt after yesterdays events)
In fact, the smile on their faces practically confirmed they found his current disposition to be humorous.
Meanwhile, Haruhi fumbled along to Kasuga's instructions, even managing to fall on top of her.
"I'm so sorry Miss Kasugazaki!"
Haruhi averted her eyes in embarrassment, only to have the lady put her arms on top of her neck and pull her down slightly. Haruhi's blush grew, but Kasuga somehow seemed to manage to relax her face even further.
"It's alright Haruhi." The almost melodious voice assured her
"Can I at least help you up?"
It was decided that they would take a break, and Haruhi poured their tea.
"It really was nice of you to help me learn to dance, I hope you know that I appreciate it." Haruhi said
"Oh, It's fine. Besides, I heard you weren't seeing any guests today. It's nice to get to spend some alone time together, I'm quite glad I got to."
Her eyes
There was something in those girls eyes that made Haruhi feel thoroughly wrong. Her words, sincere as they sounded, seemed absolutely forced when coupled with that hint of something. It wasn't quite searching. Maybe...
emptiness
Haruhi faltered, for inside Kasugazaki Kanako's eyes was the truth.
What truth that was? Haruhi would not know.
"Uh..."
Thus her response was that of great insight.
Kasuga moved on quickly upon seeing the tea set they were using, and picked up the tea cup, looking over it with an appreciating gaze
"This is a new tea set, isn't it? It's Ginori, lovely really."
Kyoya, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, affirmed this
"Indeed it is, that is quite a keen eye mademoiselle. We finally received them yesterday, we felt it was about time the club upgrade our tea sets."
His words seemed to be ignored for the most part, as her attention was focused almost solely on the cup still in hand.
"I see. The colour is quite pretty. Wonderful." She lowered her head sady as her fingers moved to the rim
Suddenly, Tamaki snapped out of his stupor and turned towards her.
"You must really love tableware, huh?"
"No, not really, I man- not at all. Whatever would give you that idea?" Her words were awkward and came out quickly
Defensive almost
"Hi there, I'm here with the tea sets you ordered." A friendly voice piped up
Kasuga's grip on her tea cup tightened slightly
Kyoya went to the boy and mentioned the quality of tea sets they had received, at Haruhi asked him whether or not he sold tea sets.
"Oh no, I'm just a regular student here. Can't you tell by the uniform?"
His outfit consisted of an eggshell sweater with long sleeves and a V-shaped neckline, as well as all the other typical Ouran male uniform bits (minus the jacket of course). While it was somewhat odd Haruhi did not see his tie at the very least, her mistake was an honest one.
Kasuga let out a cold laugh
"Oh Haruhi, you're hilarious!" All occupants of the room turned to her as she spoke, and midway through her next sentence she turned in her seat to face them "I don't blame you for not knowing. After all, he really doesn't look like an heir to a first-class company."
The boy's hands fell from where they rested on his hips and his jaw went agape.
"First-class company?" Haruhi question quietly
Kyoya remained expressionless as he explained
"His family business, the Suzushima Trading Company, deals primarily in the importing of tableware. They currently have the top market share in the company."
Suzishima's stood relatively still throughout this, his face slowly morphing into one of pain and shock. Kasugazaki lowered her head slightly and angled it away from him, conveying neither shame nor timidity, rather looking as if she herself had been the one wronged. Her short hair provided a small curtain, blocking her sorrow from his widened eyes.
Haruhi glanced down at the box in her hands with a 'Wow'
Kyoya continued
"So, whenever something he deems exceptional comes in, I request he send it our way. He has a great eye for fine china. Don't you Suzushima?"
At the mention of his name, he snapped out of his stupor and turned to Kyoya with a humble look
"You think? I've still got a lot to learn, but thank you."
Haruhi looked toward the only other girl in her room and noticed as her countenance grew further despaired as the two second years interaction continued
"Aren't you leaving next month to study abroad in England?"
"Yes, I am. Well, I'd best be off now."
After he had departed, Tamaki approached the girl.
"So, are you enjoying the host club?" He leaned on the table as she continued to ignore him and stare into the ginori cup in her hands.
She did not react until Haruhi approached her with her next comment
"I get the feeling you and that guy are kinda close."
Tamaki looked up at Haruhi and smiled, meanwhile Kasuga tensed in her chair, suddenly ramrod straight where she sat. She turned in a hurry and gripped her shaking chair
"Ah! Don't be ridiculous, we hardly know each other!" She squealed "What makes you say that Haruhi?! Now if you'll excuse me, do take care!"
Thus she left in a flurry of awkward speech and blushing.
Tamaki did not look remotely surprised or concerned, but Haruhi was left standing in slight shock at the events. Suddenly, the smallest person in the room was suddenly latched onto her back, seemingly having soared through the air to get there. She let out a terrified 'Uahhh' from the back of her throat as he immediately launched into speech.
"Haaru-chan! Guess what? They do know each other!" Haruhi attempted to catch her breath while he continued, leaning his face onto her shoulder as he did so "Suzushima is Kasuga-chan's fiance!"
Tamaki crossed his arms
"Kyoya," The raven haired boy's head had turned in an instant "how long have you known about this?"
"About the two of them being engaged?" He opened the notebook that had formerly rested underneath his arm "Well, as you know, I conduct general searches on all of our customers. The two of them are childhood friends. It seems their engagement was arranged by their parents. I didn't think the information would benefit us, so I disregarded it."
"I see." Tamaki muttered
"Toru Suzushima; outstanding grades, fair social status. Ordinary looking, but reliable, if I had to fault him for anything-"
The twins slid to each side of Kyoya and interrupted him, something he did not react to in any way
"He doesn't have much presence-" Hikaru explained
"-Not to mention faint hearted."
Kyoya finished the three off by summing it all up,
"In other words, he's boring."
The ledger was snapped shut with one hand.
It all seemed almost rehearsed, though Haruhi knew this to not be the case.
'I had no idea they were so ruthless to other guys...'
Hunny and Mori offered their insight as well
"Suzushima is a good boy, he doesn't mess with any of us. Right Takashi?"
"Yeah."
'I think this is the first thing he's said yet...'
"We'll have to work out a strategy." Tamaki announced
"What strategy?" The twins and Hunny replied
"Men,"
'Oh Mother, he's about to sparkle again, isn't he...'
"It is our responsibility, as member of the elite Ouran Host Club, to make every girl happy!"
He sparkled every time his head moved while he spoke.
'Oh no, everytime he sparkles something ridiculous happens...'
During the night of the party, the entirety of the room was alight by not only the chandeliers, but the pure excitement of the ladies as well. After the ladies had been greeted, Kyoya announced that the best dancer of the night would be awarded a passionate cheek kiss by the host club king himself. This of course caused even more excitement, which caused Haruhi even more distress.
"At least try and show a little enthusiasm." The twins sighed in unison
"I've never really been to a party except for festivals held in my neighborhood."
"I'm not entirely sure those can even be considered parties..." (Meanwhile the twins plotted in their minds a scheme revolving around Haruhi in traditional wear, and dear goodness was she going to be wonderful once they were done with her.) "However, while you're here you may as well get something to eat, we do have quite a spread."
Haruhi paused
"A spread? Do you have... fancy tuna?"
Fa-
-nc
-y
-TUNA?!
All the hosts went into various states of shock, even Kyoya pressing his pen far too hard and making a giant black splotch on the paper, all centered around the hole the tip had formed.
Tamaki gracefully propelled himself off of the marble banister and landed on his feet below, where he joined the rest of the hosts in staring at Haruhi.
"WHat?!" A blush spread across her face
Hunny was the first to breach the subject
"But Haru-chan, isn't that kind of..." He trailed off
The twins, ever lacking in subtlety, finished where he could not
"That's like cannibalism!" They called out in distress
('How hypocritical, two thirds of them enjoy blood for goodness sake')
"I-what? No it isn't."
"Haruhi, aren't you all... fishy down there? You're a mermaid, isn't that like eating your cousin?!" Tamaki asked
She scoffed
"Of course not. For one, actual fish eat other fish all the time. Besides, it's the same to me as a steak is to someone else. Seafood is just what was available for the mermaids, so landfood was to us what seafood was to you and vice versa. I've never actually had the fancy tuna before."
They seemed to relax a bit at this, until Tamaki tensed again
"Haruhi, YOU'VE NEVER HAD A STEAK?!"
"It's still just tuna..." She reminded him
Kyoya had already pulled out his phone by the time Tamaki turned to him
"Kyoya, get some fancy tuna here right now!"
"Add some delux sushi." Kyoya ordered into his phone
The twins pulled Haruhi into a hug and rubbed their heads to hers with (what she prayed to be) false tears in their eyes
"Poor little dear..."
'Damn these rich jerks...'
Later, just as Haruhi was about to join Kasuga for a dance, she was suddenly pulled away.
She wanted to throw up.
Or scream.
Or both.
Instead, her breath was caught in her throat as she thrashed against the form that had thrown her over their shoulder.
'Dang it, dangit, dangitdangit, PUTMEDOWN!'
It was not until she felt the gaze of a familiar dragon did she manage to stop herself, and notice that it was simply Mori she had been resisting so feverently.
You're entirely safe. So stop it. Stop being ridiculous.'
She stilled herself and eventually they reached their destination, at which point he gently set down her tensed form, and took only a moment to look into her eyes.
Safe.
"Are you alright Haru-chan?" Honey eyes met hers
No, not remotely so, I think I'd rather be anywhere but here right now.
"Yeah, just... maybe don't be so forceful next time?"
Mori took note of the stress lines under her eyes and nodded.
The twins moved on quickly from this and Hikaru handed her a folded up dress within a blue covering.
"You've got to go get changed."
The next thing she knew Hunny had taken her hand and quickly led (almost pulled really) her into a changing room before disappearing from it. The curtains had already seemed to close themselves.
She heard Kyoya speaking to her from the other side
"A little accident towards the end of the night will be entertaining. Now remember Haruhi, there are only twenty minutes remaining before the party reaches it's climax, you must make them count. Suzushima is already waiting for you in the classroom across the hall."
She changed as he spoke, taking note of the small scar resting just between her waist and hips. She let the dress fall, and pulled on her wig wordlessly. Stepping out from behind the curtain, Kaoru and Hikaru immediately pulled her into a chair and began putting makeup on her.
"We know this is the plan," Kaoru said
"But it's kinda unsettling..." Hikaru explained
(As a matter of fact, Mori of all people was one of the only ones who did look unsettled)
Then they pulled away to show the world their handiwork, just in time for Tamaki to walk in and see her.
"Gentlemen, here you all are, what are you-"
He promptly shut his mouth upon seeing Haruhi in an actual dress and small heels. It was a moment of pure shock to see Haruhi looking that was, especially in something other than just photographs. It was an entirely different experience in person.
He supposed some part of him understood sailors all of the sudden, envied them almost. If he were to die, this was not the worst of sights to be his last. He contributed this to him appreciating his daughter and all her mermaidenly charms and let it aside.
"Wow Haru-chan, you look so pretty!"
Yes, he supposed, pretty was a word for it.
"My face feels heavy and it's hard to walk in these shoes."
She left without another word.
When Haruhi entered the room, Toru was indeed already there.
He stood before the large window in the room, allowing moonlight to bathe every contour of his face. His face may have appeared at peace, had Haruhi not been entirely focus on only him. Instead, it looked solemn. Contemplative.
Then he turned to her, and all of that melted away.
Down to business.
"Are you the one who sent this letter?"
He held up a pink envelope, to which she only nodded, attempting to hide her surprise.
"You aren't the kind of girl I expected to write this letter."
No, he was correct. The letter was clearly written by a moron.
(though it was a little strange he had deduced that simply by her looks, not all people appear mad, true nature aside.)
'I'm in love-love with you! From the very first day I saw you, I have been head over heels. One man, and one man only, can soothe this pain of being without you. You are this man! My heart is a raging typhoon, fueled only by the waters of my love. Without you, it would cease to beat! I watch from afar, but I can do so no longer. When the typhoons rising waters approach, might you be there? Yes my love, let us run away!
Our parents may never approve, but what do we care? Let us rendezvous together at Noah's ark, and spend an eternity in each other's arms! I wish only this, I swear! I swear upon this bleeding heart of mine!
For love, LOVE!, shall be our guide through the murky waters ahead!'
'Who would write this thing?'
It was overly passionate, and Haruhi feared for the sanity of whoever could write such a piece.
(A collaborative piece between the twins and Kyoya, while Kyoya mostly insured they wrote nothing too lewd.)
"Have we met somewhere before?" Toru asked with confusion in his eyes
Haruhi instantly panicked and denied this, using something more akin to noises of denial than words.
His head hung slightly
"I'm sorry, I'm flattered by your letter, but I simply don't feel the same way." His eyes were coated in pain, "You see, another girl already has my heart."
I think this is it...
Haruhi lifted her face toward him,
"Oh, well, I didn't know that you had a girlfriend."
"Sadly, she's not my girlfriend." He turned his head away, and judging by how he faced off at the nothing in the other side of the classroom, he is no longer speaking to her. No, he says these words for only himself.
"She's probably over me already. In all honesty," a pause, "she'd be happier with someone with much more self-confidence with me."
Haruhi observed the unfolding of it all.
She heard as Kanako approached, asking Tamaki where he was leading her. He tells her what they've realized, that she is happiest when she gazes into the teacups she nestles safely within her palms. That when she looks down into the liquid within, she is really seeing the two of them.
The next words make Haruhi want to protest
"It's pointless, no matter how hard I try he'll never notice me. Now he's decided to study abroad, and he didn't-" She falters "he didn't even bother telling me."
Haruhi focused back on the boy before her.
"That's why I decided, I'm going to see the world so I can become a better man. It's selfish of me... but, I almost wonder if she'll wait for me."
Haruhi ceases observing long enough to respond.
"Yeah, you're right, that is pretty selfish of you." Toru looked absolutely shocked (he had forgotten she was there, and his reminder was a cruel one) "Though maybe she will wait. Or really, maybe she would. You'll never know, not if you don't tell her."
Toru breathed in and straightened out
"You obviously have strong feeling for her, so why not go ahead and talk to her? I think once you decide to change, you've already begun the transformation."
The click of heels was muffled, but noticeable, and the crack left in the door was opened fully.
(The world slowed down)
Toru's eyes opened in shock.
(It stopped completely)
He reached toward the girl, who's head dipped as she clutched her hand at her sternum.
(A stuttered apology, tears running down pale cheeks)
Then she had turned and run.
(The world resumed)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
For time will not truly stop for anyone, no matter your grief.
He runs after her.
Tamaki comes up behind Haruhi as she watches the boy run
(Run as fast as his still awkward legs can take him, though they show confidence in this pursuit)
"It seems we only made matters worse."
"Maybe, but he did go running after her."
Tamaki looks out the window.
Haruhi's eyes widen as she realizes.
This is not confidence, he's terrified. This was automatic.
Her mouth morphs into a smile
"Hm."
This is love.
She remembers the words Tamaki had said, and they rang true.
("It is our responsibility,)
Kanako sobs, and hopes that these heels on her feet can carry her away. Far, far away from this place where her heart had been cut open.
Yet still, she can hear her murderer's footsteps as he follows her, calling out her name all the way.
(as members of the elite Ouran host club,)
Alas, the perpetrators legs are much longer than hers, and he latches his hand onto her wrist.
Suddenly, a spotlight appears on them, then two more, and she looks up to find the eyes of the entire party are on them.
"Ladies and gentlemen," The voice of Tamaki declares, "It is now time to begin the final dance of this evening's festivities. The last dance of the night has been chosen by the host club for this couple."
He lifts his arm, and swiftly moves it down.
A relaxed flourish claims his hand as it lands directly at her.
(to make every girl happy!")
Princess Kasuga...
May I have this dance?
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Yes"
The party ends with a slight... mishap, and Haruhi's first kiss now belongs to Kasuga.
(The awkward couple, as Tamaki had named it, was more likely cursed than blessed.)
(Or perhaps Haruhi was, and she just really needed to keep bananas far away from the twins...)
And so, our heroine rests.
Of course, peaceful evenings never last long when one is around the host club.
A/N 2: This was torture to write
My computer is jacked up, so while I was writing this I had to do a special maneuver each time I spaced words. Luckily, that eventually fixed itself. Then, it kept shutting down. So my work kept being deleted. Plus it was so gosh dang slow!
AND THE FAMILY GATHERINGS. I hate it when everyone tries to be all friendly with me, I don't care if we have the same grandfather, I want to take a nap!
Ugh, the things I do for you people.
...that's a lie, I love it, and I do it for me too.
I'm having a crisis over whether this is going to go like the show, where little stuff just happens and the plot isn't really Conflict - resolution or if I'm going to come up with a whole antagonist and such.
Anyone else super uncomfy referring to high schoolers as men and women unless it's from their Point Of View?
NOTABLE CHANGE: I had Tamaki and Kanako super close to the classroom in this, mostly because I've been toying around with the idea of Haruhi having sort of semi-aquatic ears, so everything would sound slower to her. Sound can travel significantly faster in water, though this depends on contents (what kind of particles are in it besides water) and temperature. Also, marine mammals are theorized to be almost deaf in air due to this was plug they have filling their external ear. Haruhi of course cannot have this issue, so I've come up with this:
Mermaids, depending on what part of the ocean they originate from, have varying degrees of wax in their ears. Since some mermaids spent more time interacting with surface dwellers (yes, I so called us that), overtime their ears have adapted. Some mermaids are completely deaf above water, but Haruhi (and anyone else who has adapted this way) has wax plugs that operate in a similar manner as earwax, but due to the chemical compound something about saltwater hardens this wax into a proper plug.
Basically, Haruhi just needs to clean out her ears and keep they away from saltwater and she'll be A-okay.
Let's also assume, for arguments sake, that when underwater the sound from above water still manages to reach her perfectly (I haven't read enough to prove or disprove this), provided the speaker was within a reasonable distance.
The day she transformed she'd been cleaning out/ drying the wax plugs in her ears before the others got there so that she could hear what the heck was happening (I can't think of better).
Any thoughts?
Long author's note.
The story itself is also a long one, I was not about to spend another how many? chapters recounting episode two, no matter how many slight changes I made. I'd say about 3,400 if we subtract both author's notes.
-Lucas_Gilbert