This was originally something I first wrote in 2013, but I decided to edit and rewrite it.
I hope you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran HSHC. That belongs to Bisco Hatori. Only the ideas and the character belong to me.
One thing Akina learned about Ouran Academy, while it was a reputable private academy, was that it was difficult to find a quiet place to read. Each room was full of boisterous students doing some kind of activity or another. Even the libraries weren't an exception from that, it seemed.
How is anyone supposed to read here? Or do anything that requires concentration?
The search continued, but at the rate it was going, there would be no place to read.
"Music room three?" It was a feminine voice, speaking in a soft tone beneath her breath. Emerald hues trailed over the door she now found herself in front of, hands aiming to smooth out any wrinkles in her attire.
It was a yellow dress with long sleeves and a puffy skirt. She wasn't particularly fond of it. In fact, she absolutely hated it, but it was the official girl's uniform of the school. Her father already told her there was no arguing the matter, so she had to wear it.
Dark brown, so dark a brown it was nearly black, hair fell to her midback, some of it framing her face.
Maybe this will finally be a success.
Her hand lifted, grasping the door knob and turning it to pull the door open. As the door opened, a wave of perfume overwhelmed her senses, and a burst of rose petals rained down on her.
"Welcome." came the chorus of seven different voices.
"Uh..." She blinked, her mouth hanging open just a touch.
In front of her was a couch, and seven different men were seated on it. The first one to catch her attention was a blonde one. Mostly because he was the first one to get up from the couch and saunter over towards her.
"Hello, my princess." A smile was across his face, perhaps what some may consider charming. He lifted his hand towards her, his fingers brushing along her jawline.
Her posture stiffened, growing rigid as his face leaned in closer to hers. Way closer than she would have liked him to be.
"Err... Hello?" She stared at him with a look of bewilderment on her face, taking a slow step back so he wasn't as close to her.
He didn't even seem to notice.
"So!" He clapped his hands together, his smile broadening into a grin and his hand gesturing behind him at the couch. "Tell me, Princess. What kind of guy are you into?"
"Ex.. Excuse me?" She sputtered out.
"The boy Lolita?" He continued on as if he hadn't heard her. Or if he had, he didn't acknowledge it. He pointed to a small, adorable blonde boy with chocolae brown eyes. In his arms was a pink bunny.
"The strong silent type?" He stopped a tall man with black hair and dark eyes.
"The mischievous type?" Now he motioned to a pair of identical twins with auburn hair.
"The cool type?" He shifted to be pointing at a young man that stood behind the couch, typing away on a sleek, black laptop. His hair was black, and there was a pair of silver glasses on his face.
"The natural type?" He nodded to a guy with brown hair.
Rather feminine looking for a guy...
She didn't have much time to think on it further, because the tall blonde was at it again.
"Or perhaps... Maybe you'd rather a guy like me?" He pulled back from her, much to her relief, and pulled a rose out from what appeared to be no where.
Where did he pull that from?
He held the rose out to her, leaning forward and invading her personal bubble yet again. "The princely type?"
"Um..." She took a step back, trying to get some of her personal space back. "What... Is this?"
"Why, this is the Host Club!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms out into the air with enthusiasm.
"Host... Club?" A hint of confusion on her features as she blinked at him.
"It's where the school's handsomest boys with way too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands." He explained, a large smile evident on his face.
"Like... An escort service?" Her voice trailed off, giving him a weird look.
His cheery deposition faded. He suddenly broke, retreating into a corner in the room and huddling into it. A dark, depressed aura surrounded him, enveloping the corner. "A..An escort service?"
"It is not an escort service." The one with glasses spoke up, making his way to stand to her left. He no longer had the lpatop, but instead there was a black clipboard in his hand. "We merely entertain young ladies. All of our club activities are PG." A glance was spared to the twins, who were currently wrapped around each other. "For the most part."
A slight shudder went up and down her spine when she glanced at the twins. A bewildered look began to come to her features.
That's... Interesting...
"I think I'll be going now... " She murmured, turning toward the door so she could leave. But, before she could take even a single step forward, two sets of arms wrapped around her shoulders, effectively holding her in place.
"Aw, going already?" A pair of voices chorused from either side of her head. "But we wanted to play with you."
"She looks familiar, Hikaru." A voice from her left said.
"She does, Kaoru" Another voice, presumably Hikaru, agreed.
This, along with the sudden hold on her, caused her to stiffen in their grasp. Slightly turning her head, she found one of those twins leaned over her right shoulder. A glance to left showed the other twin.
"You shouldn't invade people's personal space without asking, you know." The voice of the 'Natural Type' chimed in here.
"What can you tell us about her, Kyoya-senpai?" They chorused, not giving any reply to that. However, they did finally release her from their hold. Whether it was because of what the 'Natural Type' said or not wasn't clear, since after releasing her, they made their way over to the one wearing glasses.
As they moved away from her, she breathed out a slow exhale of relief, already relaxing somewhat.
"Minase Akina. Fifteen years of age, born April Fourteenth. First year. In class 1-A, so she's in your glass." The one glasses, Kyoya, flipped a page over on his clip board to read aloud. "She's the daughter of Minase Osamu. He's the CEO of Minase Furnishings. Other than that, I don't have much other data on her yet."
"...How do you know any of that?" Suspicion was evident in her tone and on her face.
A slight smirk came to his face, and his eyes glinted from behind his glasses. "Oh, I have my ways."
I'm not sure I want to know what those ways are…
Without another word in reply to that, she shifted her gaze so she was glancing to the side, instead of looking at him.
"Aki-chan! Aki-chan!"
At that, her head turned in time to see the little boy running up to her. The one with the pink bunny.
"Would you like to eat some cake with me and Usa-chan?" His eyes were big and wide as he stared up at her to ask his question. He was even now holding up the pink bunny to her.
"Um..." She could only stare down at him. Too adorable for words, and it was so hard to say no to those big, brown eyes. "I... I guess I could..."
"Yay!" He cheered, pulling Usa-chan, the pink bunny, down so he could hug it to his chest. "Come on!"
Before she had the chance to say or do anything else, he grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her over to the couch. "Sit down, and I'll be back with the cake!"
"I... Um... Okay..." She trailed off, slowly taking a seat on the couch. Her hands folded together to rest on her lap.
A glance around showed the other blonde was still in his corner, an aura of depression surrounding him.
"Is... He alright?" The question accidentally was spoken out loud, and she didn't even seem to notice it came out.
"He's fine." The 'Natural Type' said to her, as he placed a cup of tea in front of her.
It gave her a slight start, at the sudden voice.
"Oh, sorry." He said to her.
"It's okay, I wasn't paying attention." A sheepish chuckle escaped her, her hand rubbing the back of her neck. "Is he really alright though? He's been like that for a while."
"Yeah, he's fine. He'll recover in no time." He shrugged his shoulders, giving the corner a brief glance before looking at her once again.
"That's good." She gave a small smile.
"So, you're the new transfer student?" He asked, looking at her with curiosity.
"That's right." She nodded her head. "Minase Akina, but.. I'm sure you knew that already..."
"Yeah, there isn't much Kyoya-senpai doesn't know..." He sighed, shaking his head. He soon smiled again though. "I'm Fujioka Haruhi."
"It's nice to meet you, Haruhi." She offered a soft smile.
"Nice to meet you as well." Haruhi gave a nod of his head.
"Who are the other members of this... Host Club?" She inquired, gaze drifting to the other members in the Host Club.
"I believe you already know the twins, Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru." A male voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
She jolted slightly in her seat, hand pressing to her chest, as she was startled by the sudden voice. Her head turned to look over her shoulder, revealing Kyoya. Haruhi was no longer there, apparently having left already.
Kyoya glanced at her, attention briefly pulled from whatever he'd been looking at.
"I, uh, yes." Akina cleared her throat, nodding to what he said.
"The tall one is Morinozuka Takashi, but we call him Mori-senpai." Kyoya continued on, once she'd nodded. "Suoh Tamaki is the one in the corner. Don't worry, it happens quite often." A glance to Tamaki out of the corner of his eye, before he shifted his gaze downward to look at her. "It's not your fault he's like that."
The glint in your eyes right now says otherwise...
A nervous smile tugged at her lips. She wasn't sure what exactly to say to that. Thankfully, she wouldn't have to figure it out, because at that moment...
"I brought cake!" A plate with a piece of strawberry cake was placed in front of her.
Akina looked down to the plate, then to the one who brought it. The little boy had returned.
"Thank you." She picked up the plate with one hand, taking the fork in the other so she could take a bite of it.
"That is Haninozuka Mitsukuni, but he goes by Honey-senpai." Kyoya spoke up.
"...Did you just say senpai?" Her eyes widened, almost dropping the plate in her lap.
"Yes, didn't you know? He's a third year, same as Mori-senpai." Kyoya tilted his head, a slight amusement on his face.
"There's... There's no way he's a third year in high school..." Akina stared at Honey, in complete and utter shock.
He looks like he could be in elementary school...
"He is a third year." It was one of the twins who said that, but she wasn't sure which one. All she knew was they had wiggled their way on either side of her, yet again invading her personal space.
"Okay..." Despite trying her best to remain relaxed, her posture grew rigid. Instead of focusing on them, and how close they were, she tried her best to wrap her head around Honey being a third year student. He certainly didn't look it.
"And, lastly, I am Ootori Kyoya." Thus the introductions were concluded, his attention on the papers on his clipboard.
"It's nice to meet you all." She nodded her head in response, a small, polite smile tugging at her lips.
Tamaki, the one previously moping in the corner, seemed to be fine now. He was seated at a table with a few girls, one she recognized from her class, and he appeared to be flirting with them.
The twins left the couch, giving her some breathing room once more, to roam about and entertain their own guests as well.
She glanced to the watch on her left wrist, before setting the plate down on the table. "Well, I will be going now. So, you can all get back to your club activities." She eased herself up off the couch, turning so that she could bow to Kyoya.
"But, Aki-chan, you didn't finish your cake!"
As Akina stood at her full height once again, she turned to find Honey looking up at her with a pout on his lips.
"I know, I'm sorry, Honey-senpai." She offered an apologetic smile. "But I have to get home.
"Okay..." His pout seemed to grow three sizes at that. "Will you come tomorrow?" Now he was staring up at her with what could only be described as puppy dog eyes.
"Um..." Slowly, she blinked, just staring back down at him for the moment.
Should I say yes? He looks so sad...
She wasn't quite sure about this Host Club yet, but how could she say no to that pout and puppy dog eyes?
Well, what could it hurt?
"Sure." She relented, a defeated smile tugging at her lips.
"Yay!" A wide smile spread across Honey's face, the entire thing lighting up. "See you tomorrow, Aki-chan!" With that, he skipped over towards Mori.
"See you..." She murmured to herself, hand lifting to give a little wave, despite his back being to her down. As she turned and left the room, she couldn't help wondering what she'd just gotten herself into.