A breeze danced around Hanako, picking up loose strands of her hair and lightly disheveling the twins' matching auburn locks. Her arms were locked with the brothers as they followed Yuzuha into another unremarkable glass building in the city. As soon as they walked in, the family was greeted by low-level employees who were tasked with receiving the designer and models upon arrival. Heads swiveled to get a better look at the stunning siblings and the gorgeous girl standing between them, and Hanako counted every person in sight with sharp eyes. They were met with the same reactions when they arrived at the set. Models, crew members, directors, and agents all gazed upon the three teenagers as if they had set their eyes upon true art. Unbothered by the stares and bored with the admiration of these strangers, the trio ignored the rest of the world.
"You'd think that they get used to being around beautiful people," Hikaru said, giving little regard to the familiar blushes and dazed looks that seemed to follow them wherever they went.
"It's the same thing every time," Kaoru agreed with annoyance.
"You two really need to learn to appreciate boredom and routine," Hanako commented wryly. A boring day was always better than an exciting one in her book. Excitement came with liabilities, and the added work never did anyone any good. Nevertheless, Hanako shared their sentiment. The boys were marveled at every day during their club activities, and Hana got her fair share of attention. Unlike the twins, she was blessed with the ability to have some anonymity thanks to her security work. It felt like a cycle of escape. She could escape the albatross around her neck by modeling, and when she felt too conscious and too visible she could escape into the shadows under the safety of the Black Onion.
"Speaking of boredom," Hikaru started.
"Where's Kyoya?" Kaoru finished for his brother.
"He's in meetings that should last all afternoon," she replied vaguely, much to the twins' disappointment.
"Oh, come on, you have to give us something better than that," Hikaru complained. Hana smirked secretively, knowing full well that none of their clubmates knew the details of what Kyoya and Hana did outside of their Ouran duties. Her gaze skitted across the busy set, creating a mental list of the faces she saw as they followed Yuzuha through the bustling activities of stylists and make up artists.
"Do you recognize any of the other models?" she asked them, instead, her attention settling on a group of other models who were taking pictures together in their robes.
The brothers shrugged, glancing at the group with little interest. "We never go out of our way to learn any of their names," Kaoru said as if it was the normal thing in the world to not know their coworkers.
"Most of them are just commoners anyway," Hikaru added dismissively. "Do you ever remember the people you model with?"
She hummed her confirmation and punctuated it with a brisk nod, "I never forget."
"Why?" Kaoru wondered, curious as to why his sister went through the trouble when she knew that the other models weren't ever going to be anything more than living props for these photoshoots. They never saw each other outside of the shoots, and they didn't care about the brothers or Hanako, so why was it worth the trouble to get to know them, much less remember them?
"It's a security thing," she answered simply as an average looking man dressed in a simple white shirt and smart trousers greeted Yuzuha with a hug. The pair of adults squealed with excitement before separating.
"Hikaru, Kaoru, Hanako," Yuzuha addressed them and motioned to her companion, "I'd like you to meet Kazuki-san, he's the photographer for this shoot, an absolute genius behind the camera, and a good friend of mine and Miki-san. " The trio greeted him respectfully, showing off their excellent breeding, as he chuckled and waved their formality away.
"Oh, Yuzuha, they're so handsome!" Kazuki immediately examined the boys, showering them with praise and admiration as he did. "Their skin is absolutely flawless. My dear boys, you're stunning!" He turned to Hanako next, observing her with the same critical eye and artistic excitement that, if she didn't know better, would have made her uncomfortable. "And you! Why you look exactly like a young Akina Matsura! Let's get you three into hair and makeup. This shoot is going to be my greatest, yet!"
Hanako and the twins were ushered into different dressing rooms by assistants who were determined to get the show on the road as swiftly and efficiently as possible. Separate from the twins, Hanako retreated into herself as the stylists started their work on her. The ones she recognized knew better than to try to engage in smalltalk with her, and the ones who were complete strangers seemed to fall into the easier option of chatting with each other. There were other girls sitting in chairs next to and behind her, and she could hear their conversations clearly. Every time one of the girls said something to her, she responded simply, limiting their opportunity to converse with her.
She had worked with almost all of the others before. They were a chatty bunch who enjoyed gossipping amongst themselves. There was a new girl in their ranks, a pretty girl with a round face and long blonde hair that was professionally toned. Her slate colored eyes were alight as she soaked up the attention and praise of the girls around her. Hanako watched her in the mirror as the stylists worked her hair into an intricate updo and adorned the ink black locks with pearls and diamonds. The new model was surprisingly short, perhaps a little shorter than Haruhi, with an impressive, but not disproportionate, bust and gentle curves where her narrow waist met her full hips.
"Hello," she chirruped as she took the seat beside Hanako, "my name's Nana. We haven't met yet." Hana's eyes narrowed as she saw through the other girl's bubbly introduction. Nana noticed the sharpness that flickered in the black haired model's gaze as it pierced through her, and almost as soon as it was there, it was gone.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the seasoned model said with the practiced ease of an heiress. "My name is Hanako." She kept her introduction courteous but short. Hanako made an active effort not to play the social games that some of the others did when they were on set. She was always polite and unoffensive but never friendly. Some took it as arrogance, and others as graceful, but nobody other than those Hitachiins knew her well enough to say for certain which it was.
"Hanako," Nana repeated brightly, "is this your first photoshoot with Mimi-san, too? It's my first job with so many renowned designers. You must be really experienced, right?"
The little bird beaming at Hanako was flying in circles around her, trying to find an opening. Hana maintained her cool, detached countenance and answered, "It is my first time with this jewelry designer, and I have a fair amount of experience."
"Your hair's so pretty, Hanako-chan," Nana praised, playing with her own loose curls cascading from the ponytail at the top of her head. "I wish my hair could be as shiny."
"Thank you," Hana replied graciously. The girl spouted praise and fished for compliments that Hana never gave. It became very clear to her that Hanako wasn't eager to get to know her and that, no matter how nice she was, Nana would not elicit any more of a reaction from Hanako than the cool, unmoved reception that she had shown at their introduction. To Hana's relief, Nana cheerfully took her leave, returning to the welcoming arms of the other models who had accepted her with enthusiasm. Despite her cheerful attitude, Hanako did not miss the annoyed clench of Nana's jaw as she said her good-bye.
"You're very brave to get on her bad side," Hanako's makeup artist commented as she spread a layer of foundation on Hanako's neck and collarbones.
"I've never heard of her before," Hana replied thoughtfully, wondering how it was possible to a new model to have such an intimidating reputation so quickly.
"She's a pretty new model," the artist confirmed as she progressed in her work. "I think this is her fifth photoshoot, ever. She gets along well with everyone, or at least tries to get everyone to like her. She's pretty typical as far as models go."
"Is she from a well known family? What agency is she with?" Hana questioned, certain that influence similar to the Ootoris or Suohs had a role to play in this new model's participation in such a prestigious photoshoot.
The makeup artist finished her work on Hanako's face and pulled back from the young woman, assessing the finished product and expressing her satisfaction. Finally, she added the final touches to set her work in place and said in a hushed tone, "Nobody's allowed to say anything about it." The sudden seriousness of the woman's voice gave Hanako an inkling of what might be at play around Nana, but as she was swept along with the schedule, she wasn't given the opportunity to think about it for much longer.
{OR}
Hanako looked ethereal with diamonds and pearls dripping from her ink black hair and her makeup accentuating her Japanese features. They rotated the pieces that she modeled solo, and she was photographed wearing pearls wrapped around her neck, diamond collars, and expertly crafted silver and gold. They wanted to create a sense of otherworldliness on set and portray Hanako like a goddess among mortals. The twins' jewelry was always beautifully coordinated with hers, as if the glittering gems on their wrists and fingers allowed them to see the raven haired deity standing between them. As they struck the poses just the way he wanted, Kazuki cawed about how perfect they were.
It was becoming clearer and clearer as the shoot drew on that the most extraordinary pieces central to the collection created by Yuzuha and Miki were meant for Hanako. Nana's eyes wouldn't leave the beautiful model at the center of the frame despite the chatter surrounding her. The other models noticed it, too, but they were used to this. Hanako was, apparently, some kind of renowned model who could only be booked through Yuzuha Hitachiin. The novice model couldn't help but admit that the three were incredibly beautiful. The brothers were decidedly handsome with their auburn locks and ochre eyes that glittered with the amber pieces clipped to their ears. Even Nana's breath was taken away as she watched them.
The boys were instructed to change for the next shots, and they left Hanako alone in front of the camera to model solo. Nanami was quick to approach the boys as they changed, offering them water and saying, "Wow, you two are so good at this! Here, you must be thirsty. My name's Nana. I'm a new model."
The brothers easily put their host personas into place and thanked her. "I'm Kaoru," the younger brother introduced himself.
"I'm Hikaru," Hikaru added.
Nana smiled sweetly at them, "I know who you are. I mean, all of the others, that is, they've told me about you guys."
Matching devilish smirks spread across their faces, "Oh, really? What'd they say?"
"You're the Hitachiin brothers," she said, clearly impressed with their legacy. The brothers didn't let her superficial admiration discourage them. "Those earrings suit you," she praised as the hanging amber teardrops were removed from the boys' earlobes.
"Thank you," they said in unison.
"They were made for us," the twin on her left said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for them to have been the inspiration for the beautiful pieces.
"This particular line was inspired by a photograph of us that our mother showed Miki-san," the other brother added, and Nanami felt a sense of success bloom in her chest as they regarded her with their full attention, these boys who were the stars of this shoot.
"You know," Hikaru said thoughtfully, taking in the pink garnets glittering around her neck, "I think you're a pretty good model for that set, don't you agree, Kaoru?"
Kaoru cast his gaze at Nana, and she blushed prettily as they gave her their full attention. "Yeah, you're really cute, Nana." It was just the right thing to say, and she basked in the moment, not knowing that the twins were expertly feeding her exactly what she wanted to hear.
"Ah, thank you!" she cheered and pressed her cool palm to her warm cheek. She reminded them of Honey, who brightened whenever he successfully fulfilled the qualifications of cuteness, and they knew that they had her pegged from the moment they saw the pink flowers and her tulle skirts.
Nana enjoyed the company of the Hitachiins. She treated them sweetly, and they rewarded her sweetness with their own charming words. As she spoke to them, she felt as if she was the only girl in their eyes and soaked up their attention like a flower taking water from its roots. "So, Nana, what school do you go to?" Kaoru was asking her when Hanako joined them.
Before Nana could answer, Hikaru had noticed that his godsister was approaching them, dressed a flowing, ivory gown wearing a beautiful diamond headpiece with matching earrings that featured tiny diamonds strung together like waterfalls from her ears. "There you are," Hikaru called to her, the flirtation gone from his voice as she joined them. "We were wondering what was taking you so long."
"Me?" Hanako countered, delicately perching on a chair next to them, "You're the ones who aren't even ready for the next collection."
"We have a break!" the brothers declared simultaneously. The three of them seemed to fall into their own little world together, and Nana felt as if she had been effectively forgotten in the presence of the beauty. A familiar bitterness gripped her heart and she retreated, furiously aware of the fact that the attention was now off her and lavished onto someone else.
Her bitterness twisted into jealousy. The designers, photographer, and even the Hitachiin brothers favored Hanako, and she didn't even know who the girl was other than the recognition of her face. Looking at her, there was nothing special. She was beautiful, but she wasn't friendly. She wasn't eager to please. She didn't even seem like a teenager when Nana spoke to her.
"Hey," Nana began in a delicate, sweet voice full of innocence and confusion, "who's that girl?" The other models around her were quick to identify Hanako with the Hitachiins, and they were even quicker to latch on to the topic of gossip that Nana had offered up to them.
"That's Hanako Negida. She's the daughter of a model, and she's Yuzuha Hitachiin's goddaughter." The girls were quick to pick up on Nana's hurt at being forgotten by the brothers, and they doubled their efforts to support sweet Nana.
"She only gets special treatment because of her relationship to the Hitachiins."
"She's nothing special." Nana digested the information eagerly, pleased to see that even the models were on her side.
Across the room, Kaoru and Hikaru gratefully accepted Hanako's presence as an excuse to drop their act around Nana. In her absence, the trio enjoyed the comfort of each others' company. For the first time in a long while, they felt as everything was as it should be.
"I hate doing photoshoots," Hikaru declared, exhausted and bored. They were tedious and boring, and the three of them had been doing them throughout their lives.
"It's not that bad," Kaoru encouraged his older brother with amusement.
Hanako smiled at the sight of Hikaru slouching in his chair while Kaoru prodded him in an effort to correct his brother's posture. "I'm enjoying myself," she told them. Her lack of interest in her coworkers' personal lives certainly didn't detract from the pleasure she took from her modeling. She enjoyed being in front of the camera, being seen.
"You're a workaholic," Hikaru said frankly, and Kaoru laughed so loudly that he had to grip his sides.
"That's not true!" Hana argued, but the faint smattering of pink just under the layer of her makeup gave her away.
Kaoru's laughter trailed off into snickering as he agreed with his brother, "He's right. You are!" Hikaru's victorious grin spread wider across his face, and Hana was effectively outnumbered.
She rolled her eyes and waved away their laughter with her hand, "These jobs are a nice change of pace." It was a different atmosphere from the stuffy paperwork she often had to fill out for Ouran and the Black Onion. She liked not being the one giving orders all the time, and posing in front of the camera felt so natural to her that she enjoyed not having to maintain a stoic appearance or fade into the background.
The brothers looked at each other with mirror expressions of surprise before launching themselves at Hanako, flanking her with their arms thrown over her shoulders to embrace the brother on the other side while sandwiching her between them. "Oh, Hana, you're being cute for a change," Hikaru cooed at her.
"Who knew you had it in you to be so cute?" Kaoru agreed as she wriggled away from them, laughing against their hug.
"Stop it!" she said unconvincingly as she caught their laughter and failed to push them away, "Guys! This is so unprofessional!" The family was so wrapped up in their moment, what could have been the happiest moment between them in years, that they didn't notice Nana watching them intently from afar.
{OR}
Kazuki's next set of photos showcased all of the female models together with Hanako in the center. They took turns casually draping themselves over each other, standing, sitting, lying down, grouping themselves in various ways to show off the elegance and the craftsmanship of their pieces. Each of the girls was beautiful and they looked like goddesses, but Hanako was their empress. After a series of poses, the girls were dismissed and it was the boys' turn. There were fewer men on the set, all as handsome as the girls were beautiful, but they paled next to the Hitachiins.
As the twins passed Hana when it was time to switch models the brothers patted Hana on the back and gave her a thumbs up. "Good job," Kaoru said in passing.
"Looked good," Hikaru agreed.
"What did you think about me?" Nana's honeyed voice coated Hana's ears as the shorter girl appeared beside her.
"You looked as magnificent as a sakura in bloom, my lady," Hikaru easily switched on his host persona, and Hanako could see the beginnings of their act taking place.
"Hikaru," Kaoru mewled at his brother, "you're going to make me jealous."
The older twin took his brother's hands in his and held them up to him lovingly, the world falling away from them as he did, "Oh, Kaoru, nobody can replace you in my heart." The girls squealed in delight at the show, and even some of the boys showcased some blushes on their faces as they were made audience to the display of brotherly love. Hanako maintained her composure as always, but what did surprise her was the expression on Nana's face. Her eyes were wide and her lips were spread from the slack of her jaw, but she wasn't disgusted. She wasn't even fawning over them like the others. It was a simple, almost reverent expression that Hana couldn't quite comprehend.
"I was going to say have fun," Hanako mused, "but it looks like you two are already enjoying yourselves." Her comment promptly ended their little show, and they were back to her playful godbrothers, drawing her in by her shoulders and teasing her before getting in front of the camera.
"Hanako," Nana's child-like voice called to the more mature looking girl, "do you have a boyfriend?"
"No," she said simply, not wanting to interact with the girl.
"What? You're so pretty! There have to be boys who like you."
Her instincts told her that Nana wasn't asking out of innocent curiosity. There was something about that glint in her eye, the same hateful light that she recognized in Ayanokoji, that made her uneasy. There was something about this girl that Hanako did not like. The annoyance that she felt at Renge was nothing compared to this sense. "I don't have time for something like that," Hanako said curtly, walking away despite Nana's effort to follow her.
"Eh? Why not?"
"It's a distraction. Excuse me, Nana, I'm absolutely famished," her attempt to get away from the girl was barely what passed as polite, but she had seen Nana vying for the boys' attention and her makeup artist's words from earlier were still at the front of her mind. Once she made it clear that she didn't want to be in Nana's company, she walked to the refreshments table, and the other girls gathered around Nana supportively.
"I have a friend at Ouran who's heard about her," one of the girls said in an effort to make Nana feel better at what they felt was an unfair dismissal. "Apparently, she hangs out with a bunch of boys there every day."
"I heard the same thing! Apparently, they're the sons of the richest families in Japan. Not just that, they're members of a host club. Can you believe it?" Disdainful scowls twisted the girls' faces at the new information. Hanako pretended that she couldn't hear them as she popped a grape in her mouth. It was nothing that she hadn't heard before, and when it came down to it, Kaoru and Hikaru were right, they wouldn't be seeing these girls again likely.
"She used to be an heiress, but her family lost everything."
"What a gold digger," one of the other girls sneered in disgust.
"It's not fair that she gets all the best jobs even though she doesn't walk any shows," another girl complained. Hanako's mood darkened when she heard the comment. Maybe there was some talk that she wasn't immune to.
Another girl's eyes shifted over to Hana momentarily, looking away quickly as if she was frightened of getting caught. "It's understandable, though," the model said in a harsh whisper that failed at secrecy. "I mean, after what happened to her mother…"
"What happened to her mother?" Nana asked.
The girls were all too eager to share the biggest scandal of the industry, "Akina had a secret lover who was driven insane by how much he loved her, and he got into one of her shows. When she got to the end of the catwalk, he shot and killed her." The girls whispered amongst themselves as the strangely familiar story resonated with Nana. Meanwhile, Hanako's paper plate crumpled in her hands as she listened to them spewing 's all lies, Hanako seethed silently.
"It ruined her whole family's reputation," they continued. "Her father's security group was in charge of the event. Everyone was wondering how that man got through. They were supposedly the best in the world." Hanako crushed the already misshapen plate in her hands, glaring at it as if she could ignite it with the fury she felt as they kept going, dragging her name through the mud.
"She got engaged after that," they twisted the knife in her heart, but she could barely manage to even feel a twinge of recognition. She had heard it all before. "She had so many boys around her that her fiance broke off their engagement like two years ago."
"What?' Nana gasped, "Was it one of the twins?"
"No," the girl shook her head, "it was…"
"What're you talking about?" their question was spoken in unison, a thin veil of mischief barely concealing the fury behind their words. The gossips had been so caught up in feeding their hearsay to Nana that they hadn't noticed the twins finish their shoot and join to listen in. None of the girls could say how long the brothers had been standing their. Their amber eyes flashed like predators that had just caught their prey, a deep seated, malicious satisfaction that forced the other models to cower behind Nana, who had the gall to smile at them pleasantly.
"We were just curious about our elusive coworker," Nana said innocently, as if the words that they had spewed weren't a poison that had been slowly killing Hanako over these past three years.
Hikaru's eyes hardened, cold and beautiful like the amber choker around his neck, "If you wanted to know about Hana, you should just ask her."
"It looks bad if you start gossipping about someone who's standing right there," Kaoru agreed. The brothers marched off, arm in arm to join Hanako. When they reached her, Hikaru wrapped his arm around her waist supportively while Kaoru pried the balled up plate from her hands.
"They don't know what they're talking about," Hikaru said darkly, his anger spilling over and just barely contained by the need for decorum.
"Stop being so nosy," she scolded the pair of them half-heartedly. "It's not a big deal." The brothers were about to argue, when Nana's lone figure approached them. The girl's pleasant smile was in place, and she stepped forward with her hands folded behind her back, the picture of innocence.
"Ah, sorry, Hanako," she apologized, but the words felt empty with her perkiness. "We really didn't mean any harm by it. Hikaru, Kaoru, you guys are right, I…"
The black haired beauty's eyes narrowed into slits, "I'm really not interested in anything you have to say. I've been in my line of work long enough to know the kind of person you are, and I'm not looking to get involved with someone like you."
For a moment, Nana's mask slipped, and Hanako could see that same, deadened look in the girl's slate colored eyes as she saw in Mitsukuni's back then. "Just what exactly do you mean by 'someone like me'?" her voice was measured, defensive and critical the way those girls from school had spoken to her before.
"There are only two kinds of people who aren't keen on boasting about their family, and I know all the families worth boasting about," Hana stated, her face contorting into a rare sneer as she regarded this girl who made her blood boil simply by being in the same room as her. They stared each other down, but Hanako could see the hatred shining clearly in Nana's pupils. She knew that her suspicions were at least partially right. Nana turned away in a huff, and the twins gravitated back to Hanako.
"That was pretty intense," Kaoru remarked, looking over his godsister with concern.
"What was that girl, again?" Hikaru wondered, having already forgotten her name.
"She isn't anyone important," Hanako said, but from the tension in her shoulders and the coldness in her voice, they got the feeling that they shouldn't believe her.
{OR}
After the incident with Nana, the other models stayed away from Hanako more than usual. She was able to change out of Yuzuha's gown and into her chic every day clothes without any disturbances. The first thing she did was check her phone for any messages from Kyoya, and when she saw that he hadn't contacted her, she tucked the device into the pocket of her fitted peach trousers. When she stepped out of the dressing room, she saw Kyoya standing by the door leading to their studio. He was surrounded by his three person security team and leaning casually against the wall, taking in the environment with slight displeasure. The other models were watching him, whispering and admiring him in their cliques.
He looked up when he noticed her approaching, and his eyes quickly scanned over her from head to toe. "What are you doing here?" she asked, genuinely curious because they had agreed to meet at home once she finished.
Mild consideration replaced his aloofness as he replied, "I'm picking you up." She arched her brow at him, suspicious of the sudden change of plans, but she knew better than to question him. After all, he had gone out of his way for her, and Kyoya wasn't known for being the type to carve time out of his day for just anyone.
"I'm going to say good bye to Auntie Yuzuha and the photographer before we go," she informed him, and he nodded in understanding. As she walked away from him, Nana joined the girls eyeing this other, handsome boy appreciatively. He was as handsome as the twins, maybe even moreso with the the cool indifference radiating from him that seemed to make him more mature than the brothers.
"Who's he?" Nana asked them with curiosity, wondering what this boy was doing here if he wasn't a model.
"That's Kyoya Ootori." Nana's face burned at the sound of his surname. One of the most powerful and wealthy families in Japan, maybe with even more influence than the Hitachiins. Everyone knew who they were, but she had never seen someone like him before in person.
"How does he know Hanako?" she asked, envy clawing at her as yet another handsome, wealthy, respected boy looked on at the black haired beauty with genuine appreciation.
"Don't you know?" Hikaru asked, coming to stand behind Nana.
"She's the head of his private security," Kaoru voiced beside his brother. Nana's eyes widened in disbelief while the twins grinned from ear to ear and waved their goodbyes at Hana and Kyoya who caught the twins' gesutres on their way out.
Once they were in the car, Hanako contained a satisfied moan as she settled into the leather seat. The tension finally melted from her body in the familiar setting. "It seems like you had a long day," Kyoya remarked.
"It wasn't that bad," she replied, leaning back in her chair and watching him curiously. It wasn't like him to pick her up without warning on her day off from work.
Her employer felt her watching him and closed his pocket book so that he could speak with her, "Why are you looking at me like that?" He didn't ask out of annoyance. If it had been anyone else, maybe he would have felt more annoyed.
"Why did you really show up?" she questioned him evenly.
He smirked at her, that teasing little upturn of the corner of his mouth, just lopsided enough for her to know that he wasn't laughing at her for her ignorance, " I got a message from Hikaru saying that you needed a ride home, and, like a proper gentleman, I came by to pick you up."
Hanako smiled, and he saw the affection that she saved for her him and her godbrothers warm up every feature on her face as she curled up on the seat beside him, "Thank you for always being there when I need you."
Kyoya opened his book again and smiled into its pages, "It's my job."
A/N... Y'all don't even know the drama I'm boutta serve you with this story. Thank you for reading this story, and I want all of you to know that I absolutely love reading your reviews.
What do you think of Nana? Who do you think she is/will be?
Next time: A little carried away. Hana uses her day off to help at the Aqua Garden.