A stray ray of sunlight woke Hanako before her alarm blared on Sunday morning. Groaning, she threw rolled onto her side and checked the clock next to her bed for the time. She had seven minutes before her Sunday routine typically began, and the few minutes weren't worth getting back into bed for more sleep. Instead, she sat up and walked to the bathroom. Her long dark hair had tangled terribly overnight, she noticed as she looked in the mirror while brushing her teeth, but the scratch on her face had completely healed. The doctor had been right, and it hadn't scarred. Satisfied, Hana brushed her hair before dropping her silk pajamas onto the floor and stepping into the hot water pouring down from the showerhead.
Hanako's sore muscles relaxed under the powerful spray, and she wondered if she hadn't had a good night of sleep. Running her hand over the muscle of her left shoulder, she worked on a knot that suggested poor sleeping posture. Fortunately, they didn't have much planned for the day, and it shouldn't be much of a bother. Hana's shower didn't take long, and by the time she stepped out, the alarm cried for her incessantly from the bedroom. Hair dripping and with a towel haphazardly wrapped around her middle, she returned to the alarm clock and silenced the repetitive noise.
Once she changed into her uniform, she walked down to the kitchen, greeting the other staff members as she passed. "Good morning, Negida-san," Aijima greeted from the grill, apron over his black suit and a spatula already in hand.
"Good morning," she replied. The aroma of onions and fresh vegetables cooking in butter caused her mouth to water, and she leaned forward on the counter, "What're you cooking? It smells heavenly."
"Western omelettes," the man informed her with a smile. "Would you like pancakes with your breakfast?"
"No, thank you," she declined. "I'll have a piece of toast. How's your wife doing?" Aijima beamed at her as he placed a full glass of water on the counter for the girl. The last Hanako had heard, Aijima and his wife had successfully conceived and were planning on visiting the doctor. Hanako had been quite pleased to learn that Spring Onion International had provided their employees with excellent benefits, and Aijima's wife was able to make an appointment with an Ootori Medical specialist.
"She's well," he said with a warm, loving expression at the thought of his wife. "A couple bad days here and there, but nothing unbearable."
"Just wait until the baby's born," Tachibana's low laughter sounded as he joined them with Honda. The two men joined Hanako at the counter and slid onto the seats next to her. The mornings that Team Kyoya shared were comfortable and warm. As the only member of the alpha squad with professional culinary experience, any experience, really, Aijima was the one who prepared their meals every morning. It was a tradition that they started with Yuudai when he was their commander, and they had kept it up when Hanako joined their ranks. The consistency had provided her with some much needed routine at a time when nothing felt reliable.
Hana smiled into her glass of water as the two oldest members of their squad teased Honda for his bachelor lifestyle at the age of thirty-five. Despite their friendliness, Hanako knew that each of them had impressive credentials. Honda was ex-military, injured in a counter-terrorism mission that resulted in heavy nerve damage in his right arm. Her father met him through a friend of a friend and offered the angry, tired young Honda treatment at the best hospitals in the world in exchange for a position on his Black Onion Squad. Honda had regained full use of his right arm by the time he completed the additional training expected of the Black Onion's officers. Tachibana and Aijima didn't have as transformative of an experience with Yuudai. Aijima had been a simple police officer when he was asked to leave the force after causing ripples in the system by holding a coworker accountable for brutally detaining a young suspect. Tachibana had gone to the same dojo as Yuudai and worked for the same security company as him in their youth.
Good people make good company. That was her father's motto, and it was set them apart from other organizations. Yuudai committed to hiring morally strong individuals, training them from the ground up if it was what was necessary. He put his faith in the right people, and people, in turn, put their faith in him. The Black Onion didn't need the good press. They didn't need the high profile clients. They didn't need the branches of security consultants and officers for hire across the world. One hundred genuinely good people. That was all she needed. Her father had started with ten.
"How were your rounds this morning?" she asked, putting an end to the conversation and letting them know that they did have work to get back to.
"Nothing out of the ordinary," Honda reported. "The landscapers and gardeners were on the property yesterday, and they aren't scheduled to revisit for another few days."
"One of the cars needs maintenance," Tachibana informed her. "I've already made an appointment with the mechanic. I've made the arrangemets for the schedules of Master Ootori and young master Kyoya's brothers. Nothing else to report from the household staff."
"We've been just fine in the kitchens," Aijima acknowledged with a nod.
"Glad to hear it," she said to them, pleased with the good reports. They had gotten everything set for their days, and Kyoya wasn't even awake yet. It was a good start to the day, and then one of the cell phones in her pocket rang loudly. Hana identified which one was making the sounds and removed it from her jacket's inner pocket. Tamaki's name flashed on the phone in white lights against the dark screen, and she stood up from her seat. "It's Suoh-sama," she answered her coworkers' questioning looks. "Please, excuse me."
The young woman took her leave of the kitchen, choosing to answer the phone in the servants' staircase as she walked up to Kyoya's bedroom. She didn't get to breathe a word before Tamaki started speaking, "Hey Kyoya, there's something I need to talk to you about." The urgency and seriousness in his voice suggested that it could be an emergency, but knowing Tamaki, she expected that it was of a more personal nature.
"Hold on a moment," she said to her friend, exasperated by the mix up. "You've dialed his work phone. You'll have to wait a second, Tamaki." She arrived at the door to Kyoya's room and slipped inside, finding that Kyoya had kicked off his blankets in his sleep and assumed a more comfortable position on his stomach with his bare arms splayed out on the pillows around him. "Kyoya," she announced herself, coming to stand next to his bed, "wake up."
The dark haired young man grumbled something unintelligible and wrapped his arm around the pillow uner his torso. Hanako rolled her eyes at his difficulty and tried again, "Kyoya, Tamaki's on the phone."
Her employer opened his eyes slowly. They saw her hips first and roved over her form drowsily until landing on her face. Kyoya made no effort to school the annoyance on his features when he asked in a low voice, husky from sleep, "Is it important?"
"It's top priority!" Tamaki's shout could be heard from the phone in Hanako's hand despite the fact that it hadn't been set to speaker. Exhaling heavily, Kyoya pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes with one hand and extending his other to Hana for the phone. She handed him the device and stood patiently by the windows as Tamaki's voice prattled on, and Kyoya rested his face in his free hand.
"You want to do what?" Kyoya asked slowly. His free hand started to massage the ever tightening tension in his forehead between his brows. Tamaki's voice sounded, again, more endearing this time than urgent. Hanako watched as Kyoya's annoyance at being woken up slowly transformed into a resignation to his best friend's antics. "I suppose it could be arranged." A pause. "Alright, Tamaki, I'll see you in a little bit." Hanako heard Tamaki cheering on the other end of the call before Kyoya promptly ended it and tossed the phone back to Hanako.
She caught it easily, and Kyoya got out of bed, stretching before finding the glasses on his night stand. "Let your squad know that a car will be arriving from the Suoh estate in half an hour," Kyoya instructed her as he walked towards his attached bath.
"I'll let Tachibana know right away," she assured him. She moved to the sofa they used as an additional study space in his bedroom and sat down while he disappeared into the bathroom. "What does Tamaki have in mind today?"
"He's under the impression that something horrible will happen if we don't pay Haruhi a visit at home," Kyoya answered. He paused, and Hana heard the water running from the faucet. "Apparently, it couldn't wait for tomorrow. Could you send a car to pick up the others before Tamaki gets here?"
Hanako hummed in acknowledgement. It certainly sounded like something ridiculous that Tamaki would come up with, but she couldn't seem to see how Tamaki's so-called urgent matter appealed to Kyoya. "Let me guess. You're curious?" she asked. There was a long pause as the sound of Kyoya's toothbrushing carried over from the bathroom.
"You know me so well, Hana," she could hear the smirk in his voice, and she smiled a little bit at her crafty employer's own brand of mischief. Leaving his room, she returned to the kitchen with a list of instructions for Team Kyoya to follow before Tamaki's car arrived.
{OR}
Hanako rode in the front of the car with Tamaki's driver when they left to pick up the other boys. Tamaki and Kyoya left the divider down between the front and back of the limousine so that they could include her in their conversation as more hosts joined them. The hosts were in awe of the middle class neighborhood. They thought that the houses built close together were interesting and enjoyed watching the people passing by on the sidewalks. While the boys shared their excitement at the prospect of their visit, Hana wondered if Haruhi was going to check the messages she left before they arrived at her doorstep. The car pulled up in front of a nondescript apartment building, and Hanako noticed a group of locals gathering off the road in the back mirror. Hana sighed and slid her dark sunglasses onto her face before she and the driver got out of the car.
Hanako's attention went straight to the crowd, and she catalogued every face that she could see. There weren't too many people. No more than seven. Eight, she decided, if she included Haruhi, who was coming up at the intersection of the street and another road. Maybe she didn't need the back up from Tachibana's car.
While the boys each stepped out of the car, Hanako went straight for the crowd. Their jaws dropped when they saw the beautiful teenagers, and they were understandably confused by the young woman approaching them with a disarmingly pretty smile on her face.
"Is this for some kind of photo shoot or something?" a middle aged man questioned with his arms crossed, but Hanako had already caught him admiring Tachibana's car.
"Rich people! Rich people!" a boy sang and danced. Hanako smiled a little bit at the boy's enthusiasm.
"On behalf of my employer," she said to the residents, "I apologize for the disruption."
"It's no trouble at all!" one of the women blurted in surprise at the show of good manners. Similar stunned responses echoed the first, and Hanako thanked them all before returning to her friends. She heard Tamaki listing the pretenses for their visit and tuned him out, choosing, instead, to address Kyoya.
"How long do you think it's going to take before he notices Haruhi standing over there?" she asked him with her hands crossed across her chest and a playful light in her eyes, visible behind her dark lenses.
"About the time it takes for him to embarrass himself," Kyoya responded, his mouth curling up in amusement as the others saluted to Tamaki while the pair discussed his ridiulousness.
"Don't say anything that might offend Haruhi or her father and cause them to ask us to leave," Tamaki was continuing to instruct the boys.
"Well, it's too late for that." Haruhi's uninviting announcement surprised Tamaki into turning around. "Go away!" The brunette's casual clothes were much more stylish and cute than what she had worn to school when Hanako first met her. The effortlessly cute ensemble of a pink smock over a simple white tee shirt strangely contrasted with the angry ticks of annoyance on Haruhi's face.
"Haruhi!" Tamaki squeaked. Hanako sighed in exasperation as he, the twins, and Mitsukuni praised Haruhi's outfit.
"Shut up! Get the hell outta here!" the honor student snapped. Hanako stood beside Kyoya, maintaining an impassive expression when Tamaki began to flail obnoxiously and draw even more attention to the visitors.
"He's impossible," she remarked as Haruhi's landlady got added to the mix. Hana stepped away from Kyoya and approached Haruhi while Tamaki worked his charm on the middle aged woman.
"Did you even try to stop them?" Haruhi asked Hanako suspiciously.
The model just shrugged and peered down at Haruhi from over her sunglasses. A silent apology and twinkling amusement swam together in her caramel irises, and Haruhi let out a defeaed sigh. "Once they've put their minds to something, it's almost impossible to stop them," she responded and extended her hand to take one of the grocery bags from Haruhi. "I suggest just going along with it for now. After all, it's just one day."
Appreciating Hanako's assistance, she allowed the older girl to take one of the bags from her. When Haruhi turned her attention back to Tamaki and the landlady, she deflated further, "And he's got her."
Hana smiled kindly at Haruhi and rejoined the hosts once Haruhi's neighbors and landlady accepted their presence in the neighborhood. The honor student relented and allowed them to follow her up the stairs to her family's apartment.
"Okay, here's the deal," Haruhi was saying, "I'm only giving you guys a quick peak. Three seconds, then you all go home, got it?" Hana's godbrothers clapped cheerfully at the gift while Tamaki, on her left, paled with some kind of horrified thought. The body guard spared a glance at her surprisingly silent employer. Kyoya leaned against the railing with his arms crossed over his chest, but despite his supposed curiosity in Haruhi's living situation, he regarded everything around them with mild disinterest.
"Are you underwhelmed?" she asked him, shifting her gaze to Mitsukuni. The clever boy had brought cake to entice Haruhi into allowing them a longer stay at her home. Kyoya had been right again. It turned out that inviting the others worked in their favor.
"It's nothing we didn't expect." His nonchalance didn't surprise her. She didn't expect him to be enthusiastic after Tamaki's poorly planned invitation earlier that morning. His Sundays were reserved for long periods of sleep to make up for the late nights during the week, but there was one person who he would sacrifice those precious few hours for. Hana smiled as that blond young man watched Haruhi consider Mitsukuni's gift with an anxious look on his face.
"Fine, I guess I'll make some tea," Haruhi finally gave up and turned to unlock her front door. Her godbrothers, Tamaki, and Mitsukuni crowded the doorway behind Haruhi.
"What a hovel," Hikaru commented upon seeing the modest apartment unit. Hana slipped past the others and followed Haruhi into the apartment while they lingered in the doorway. Lifting her foot, she slipped off her black leather shoe and did the same for the other foot. The model placed them neatly on the floor and padded over to the kitchen in her nude toned socks, where she set Haruhi's grocery bag on the counter next to the sink and started to go through its contents. While Hana made herself familiar with the Fujiokas' kitchen, the hosts provided their feedback on the commoner dwelling.
"Hold on," Mitsukuni was saying, "are we supposed to take off our shoes, too?" The boy lolita looked at Haruhi's sandals and Hanako's black patent leather shoes.
"Please, if you don't mind," Haruhi replied.
"Did you hear that? We have to take our shoes off! It's kinda like going to the dojo, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Do you have any slippers for us, Haruhi?" Hikaru asked.
"Wait, the room's covered with tatami maats," Kaoru observed.
"In that case, we don't need slippers," Hikaru grinned.
"Great! Thanks for inviting us in!" they chorused with Mitsukuni as they passed Haruhi and made themselves welcome to her home. Sympathetic to Haruhi's annoyance, Hana chuckled to herself and walked over to the other girl whose glare narrowed as the boys caused a stir in her living room.
"Let me help you with that." Hana's gentle offer did little to distract Haruhi from the mess the boys were causing, but the older girl was still able to take the remaining groceries from Haruhi without any resistance.
Hanako didn't think too much of Haruhi's haul from the grocery store. It was a collection of simple, unremarkable purchases, and she was able to find where every item belonged in the small kitchen with ease. In fact, it reminded her very much of the layout to the kitchen in Aijima's own home.
"I'm gonna go make us some tea," Haruhi's annoyance was barely disguised in her declaration.
Hikaru turned around, "Hey. Here's an idea. Why don't you make us this? It's black tea that our father brought us as a souvenir from Africa. Here, try it." Hana's godbrother passed the orange bag to Haruhi.
"Um, sure, no problem," Haruhi sounded with mild surprise. She hadn't expected them to be considerate at all during their visit, and Hanako was pleasantly satisfied to see that her clubmates were proving to the other girl that they weren't completely idiotic.
"It's best served as milk tea," Kaoru added. "Do you have milk?"
"I think. When was the last time that I bought some milk?" their hostess asked herself, turning into the small kitchen to start preparing the tea. Hana finished putting away the groceries and gave Haruhi room to prepare the tea for them.
"I apologize for taking liberties with your kitchen," Hana apologized from the furthest corner. "I hope you don't mind."
Haruhi looked up in surprise while she filled the kettle with water. In all honesty, Hana's presence in Haruhi's kitchen was the least jarring part of the entire visit. She seemed far more comfortable and at ease that Haruhi had almost forgotten that Hana arrived with the awestruck hosts. It felt quite natural for Hanako to be in her kitchen, and maybe it was even comforting to Haruhi because of how often the two of them worked together in the host club's kitchenette.
"It's not a problem, senpai," Haruhi assured her. "I'm a little bit surprised, though. You're not reacting the same way as the others."
"I spend a lot of time with my employees' families," Hana explained. "I'll help get those cakes ready. Where can I find your tableware?"
"Oh, over here," Haruhi opened a cabinet for Hanako, revealing a couple of small stacks of mismatched plates and bowls, "and there are utensils in that drawer. Well, I'm glad someone here isn't making a big fuss."
"Thank you. I'm actually quite comfortable in commoner homes," Hana said. She retrieved an appropriate number of dishes and then counted out forks from the drawer that Haruhi had indicated. Carefully walking around Haruhi, Hana carried the settings to the table. When Hanako entered the living room, she found that Tamaki and the twins were fixing Haruhi's back with intense looks of determination while Kyoya picked through the books on the bookcase.
"While your antics are amusing," he said disparagingly, turning a book over in his hands, "I don't understand why you feel the need to turn this into a contest."
Finished with placing the last of the plates on the table, Hana turned to her employer with a disapproval. "Kyoya-sama, leave that bookshelf alone and come join everyone," she admonished.
He looked up from the book and sighed, replacing it among the others. "You're such a bossy woman, Hanako," he scolded her in return half-heartedly and found a place to sit at the low table.
As he sat down, Hanako moved to help Haruhi serve the tea, but Kyoya quickly grabbed her wrist. His entire hand encircled her wrist, keeping her in place firmly, and he cast a meaningful look at her, "Since we're guests, it's appropriate to allow Haruhi to serve. We wouldn't want to be rude. Sit down, Hanako."
Something about the unusually commanding tone in his voice surprised her and stirred up an unfamiliar feeling. Despite his role as her employer, he didn't often take that authoritative tone with her. Compelled by his argument and her responsibility to follow orders, she settled into the space next to him.
"Okay, guys, the tea's ready," Haruhi announced, and Hanako looked up. She realized in that moment that Takashi had taken the place directly across from her, and she shifted with the intention of moving. Kyoya glanced at her, gray-violet eyes regarding her pointedly, and she stilled. "I'm sorry that not all of the cups match," Haruhi said to them. The other hosts found their own places around the table, and Hana ended up sandwiched between Hikaru and Kyoya.
"Come on, Haru-chan!" Mitsukuni encouraged, presenting her with the impressive array, "You can choose your cake first."
"You sure, Honey-senpai?" Haruhi hesitated.
"Go ahead!" Hikaru voiced cheerily, "We're rich! We eat this kinda stuff all the time." Hana slapped her hand over his mouth quickly and silently, and Kaoru and Tamaki shushed him harshly. "I was trying to be considerate," Hikaru hissed from behind Hana's palm.
"I'll have the strawberry," Haruhi decided, and Mitsukuni plated a small cake for her. Hana ignored the three clowns and helped distribute the rest of the cakes, knowing the boys' preferences by heart. Angel's food cake for Kaoru, chocolate for Kyoya, strawberry for Takashi, strawberry for Mitsukuni, chocolate for Tamaki, and devil's food cake for Hikaru. The chatter around the table lessened once they each had their cakes, and Hanako sipped her tea peacefully while they started to eat.
Hana observed them like a watchful hen with her chicks. Mitsukuni dug into his cake without restraint, and the twins sampled each other's cakes before eating their own. She knew every habit and enjoyed the familiarity of the expected actions.
"You like strawberries, right?" Takashi's deep voice drew her attention to something new happening. "You can have mine." The wild haired young man carefully transferred the strawberries from his cake to Haruhi's plate. Hana swallowed her tea and schooled her features. She hadn't realized how close the pair had been sitting.
Haruhi looked at Takashi with an effortlessly endearing, wide-spread smile on her face and a light dusting of rose across her cheeks, "Thanks! That's nice of you, Mori-senpai." He responded with the same expression that Hana had seen on the security footage from the pool, and the taste of tea on her tongue suddenly turned bitter. The softness of his expression somehow made his gray eyes lighter and gave his irises the impression of being larger than usual. The small curl of his lips seemed cruel.
"Why didn't we think of that?" Hana heard Hikaru wailing beside her, but it felt as if he was further away from her.
"I should've been sharing strawberries with her!" Tamaki pounded his fist on the floor.
A whiff of chocolate under her nose surprised her, and her attention flickered to Kyoya questioningly. He held his fork out to her, watching her with a curious expression that she couldn't quite read. "Try it," he instructed her simply.
She raised a carefully shaped brow at him, "Why?" She knew the bakery that Mitsukuni had gotten the cakes from, and they had been serving high profile guests since her mother and Yuzuha were in high school. She knew that there was no concern from them.
"I would feel safer if you took the first bite," he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Skeptical, she opened her mouth a little bit and leaned in. Once she closed her lips around the silverware, Kyoya carefully withdrew the fork before cutting another piece and eating it himself. The rich chocolate sponge and cool, delicately sweetened icing melted in her mouth.
"It's quite good," she commented airily.
A thud sounded loudly from across the table. Takashi's cup had landed on the table with just a little bit too much force, and his darkened gaze was fixed on the scene that had just played out in front of him. Hanako ignored him and sipped her tea as if nothing had happened. The jolting sound had been enough to put an end to the boys' melodramatic crying. Hikaru and Kaoru shared knowing glances around Tamaki as they questioned just how aware Hanako was about what would eventually unfold.
"Ah," Mitsukuni sighed in contentment before the tension at the table could settle, "eating all that cake sure wet my appetite."
"Yeah," Hikaru chirped in agreement, "isn't it about lunch time right now?"
"Well then, what's for lunch?" the boys asked with similar owl-like faces as they questioned Haruhi.
"Would you guys quit being so happy-go-lucky all the time?" Haruhi grumbled, and the incident that had just taken place was quickly forgotten.
Hana collected the small plates around the table while Kyoya rose to his feet. "We'll take care of it," he told Haruhi. "We did drop in unexpectedly, so we'll pay for lunch. Why don't you just order us all some of your favorite sushi?" He started digging through his pocket for his wallet.
Meanwhile, Hanako carried the used dishes to the kitchen. Placing the first few into the sink, she returned for the others and continued to clean off the table. The last two dishes were handed to her across the table on top of each other. Takashi held them out to her, both plates easily fitting in his large hands, but for once his head was turned the other way, watching the conversation between Haruhi and Kyoya, instead.
"Thanks," Hana murmured as she took the plates from him and retreated to Haruhi's kitchen. Listening in on the conversation from the living room, she washed the dishes and set them in the drying rack. Her typical Sunday was diverging more and more from what she expected. Reason made it clear that she couldn't be bothered by the changes. There had to be change for the club to grow, and who was she to ask them to stay the same?
When she finished with the dishes, Hana remained in the kitchen, observing from a small distance as the others decided what to eat. "I'd really love it if you made us something for lunch, Haru-chan!" Mitsukuni said with a smile.
"I guess I could whip something up," Haruhi mused, "but it's gonna take me some time."
"We can wait!" Mitsukuni cheered.
"I'm gonna have to go to the supermarket again."
"We're coming with you!" Hikaru declared.
"We want to see a commoners' supermarket," Kaoru agreed.
"Me, too! Me, too!"
"This could be a learning experience," Kyoya remarked. Haruhi's annoyance built again as the hosts invited themselves on the trip to the store.
"I'd be happy to help you do the actual shopping while the boys explore," Hana told Haruhi sympathetically, and the younger girl relaxed at the ever-comforting presence of the young security guard.
"Thanks, Hana-senpai. Could you help me cook everything, too?" If there were going to be this many people, Haruhi could use another set of hands in the kitchen, and she doubted that the hosts would be any use.
"No way!" the twins protested immediately wth gaunt faces. Their cheerful singing dead on their lips as they turned to Haruhi with horror etched onto their features.
"Huh? What's your problem?" she asked, not knowing why they suddenly changed their tune so quickly.
"Listen, Haruhi," Hikaru said, coming up on Hanako's side. "Hana's great at a lot of things."
Kaoru joined on Hana's other side, "But cooking is not one of them."
A tick of annoyance throbbed on Hana's forehead as they retold a particularly harrowing story about an attempt to learn from Aijima when they were ten. "Alright, that's enough! Let's get going," Hana clapped sharply to silence them. The twins grinned at each other and pinched her cheeks before rushing out and reviving their excitement for the supermarket.
"This is gonna be fun!" Mitsukuni declared as he passed out of the door. Hana and Kyoya left the apartment after the others, and Hana massaged her cheeks where the twins had impishly pulled the soft skin. Realizing that they were short one obnoxious member, Hana turned to her employer.
"Where's Tamaki?"
"He probably got distracted," Kyoya answered without missing a beat. As they walked down the stairs, Hana considered the whirlwind that was Tamaki and recognized how spur-of-the-moment their visit had been.
"By the way," she voiced curiously, "did you let Fujioka-san know that we were going to stop by today?"
Kyoya paused and cast a look back to her, "Hm? I thought you did."
{OR}
"I get it," Ranka said once they gathered around the table again. "You must be the Host Club I've heard so much about." Hana sat between Kyoya and Mitsukni while they made their introductions to Haruhi's father and did their best to ignore Tamaki's sullen aura from the corner of the room. "You certainly are a fine looking bunch of young men. I'm not sure which of you I like best. What about you, dear?" Ranka turned to his daughter with a frivolous smile. "Hanako, we'll have to chat about that some time. I tell you what, why don't you boys go ahead and call me Ranka? That's the professional name I use at the drag bar I work at."
"Professional name?" Mitsukuni asked, "You mean, like a stage name?"
"Exactly like that, Mitsukuni," Haruhi's father confirmed for the innocent-looking host.
"Hold on! How did you know my name, sir?"
Ranka smiled knowingly and identified each of them around the table easily, "You two are third years Mitsukuni Haninozuka and Takashi Morinozuka. And the two of you are first years in the same class as Haruhi. You're the Hitachiin twins, but I'm not sure which one of you is which! I've hear a lot about you!"
"What? So Haruhi told you about us?" Kaoru asked with a hopeful tone playing in his question.
Ranka refuted him with a smile, "No. Kyoya and his assistant told me about you two over the phone." She turned to Kyoya and their palms met while they smiled at each other.
"You know, you really are a beautiful person, Ranka," Kyoya acknowledged the communication between them effortlessly.
"Say what?!"
"Kyoya," Tamaki grit from the wall. He stretched an impossible distance to put his hand on his best friend's shoulder.
"We've been entrusted with the care of his precious daughter," the shadow king drawled. "It is only natural that we introduce ourselves and give him periodic reports. Ordinarily, that would be your job, wouldn't it?" The subversive criticism blew Tamaki back, and Kyoya sipped his second cup of tea delicately.
"I'm impressed the club has such a capable president," Ranka praised the dark haired young man, "but wait a minute, you're only the vice-president, aren't you Kyoya? I guess that president of yours is pretty much good for nothing, huh?" The two conspired as Tamaki writhed behind them. Hana supposed that this was what Tamaki got for waking Kyoya so early on a Sunday.
"You never mentioned this to me, Dad!" Haruhi reproached her father. "Why didn't you say that you've been getting calls from Kyoya-senpai?"
"What am I supposed to do Haruhi?" Ranka turned his baby doll eyes at Haruhi. "You rarely tell me anything about school."
"So that makes it okay to talk behind my back?" the girl raged and turned her attention to Tamaki, "Come on, senpai, would you quit growing mushrooms in other people's closets?"
Hanako was surprised by how similar Fujioka-san and Tamaki really were and how Haruhi's reaction to Tamaki so closely translated to her relationship with Ranka. Of course, each of the hosts bore their similarities to their parents, but their relationships with their parents were complicated. None of them really had the kind of dynamic with their parents that Haruhi had with her father.
"Haruhi," Ranka's gentle interruption ended her tirade, "the thing about you is… you're cute even when you're angry!" Ranka threw his arms around his daughter. Haruhi wriggled out from her father's grasp and walked away without any hesitation. "Wait, Haruhi, where are you going?"
"The supermarket, alright?" Haruhi informed him without any sympathy for her father's watery eyes. "I have to go shopping and I wanna do it by myself. So all of you just stay here and try to behave yourselves."
"Wait!" Hikaru called after her, "We wanna go to the commoners' supermarket!"
"I wouldn't push it. Once she's made her mind up, she'll never change it," Ranka waved down Hikaru's reminder. "When she decided she wanted to go to Ouran Academy, she did all of the enrollment paperwork by herself. While I respect her independent spirit, I wish she'd be a little more dependent on me sometimes." A faraway look came into Ranka's eyes as he fondly recalled a memory of Haruhi, and Hanako couldn't help but look into the still tea in her cup.
She had done her research on the Fujiokas for Kyoya. She knew all about Haruhi's mother's death, and Ranka's long hours working throughout Haruhi's childhood. Hana hadn't been quite as young when she lost her mother, but she had been roughly around that age when her father started to work longer hours, as well. Akina's death had caused something to die in Yuudai, and no matter how hard he tried, he was never the same. Laughing, rarely serious Yuudai Negida wore himself thin and ragged. The memory was shared between the hosts. Mitsukuni and Takashi remembered him as the unbreakable, unyielding man who would conduct business with their parents. Kyoya remembered him as the foil to his wife's cold, precise brilliance. Hikaru and Kaoru remembered him as the sometimes airheaded fun uncle who always let them play wherever they wanted as long as they never touched his tea cup collection. To Hanako, he had been all of those things, and she had acknowledged how hard he worked, stayed out of his way so she wouldn't be a burden on him, and done whatever she could to make it easier for him to pull their name out of the mud. They had all seen how much muscle he lost, how sick he became, and how defeated he had become without his wife.
Maybe that was why she was so determined to keep Ranka in the loop with the club. She could empathize with Haruhi. There was something to be said about children who had to grow up early, and it was painstakingly clear in Haruhi that she had developed a maturity quite young. Hana's attention swept over the hosts. In fact, wasn't that why they found the host club such a relief?
"I hope you all know how grateful I am," Ranka's soft voice carried over Hanako like the answer to some long-forgotten prayer. "Since she's found you, she seems to be happier. She's enjoying herself." The hosts looked at each other in pairs and then turned their gazes to Hanako. Someone who had forgotten what it meant to have fun the moment her mother died on the catwalk. Another young girl who had to sacrifice things like play and enjoyment for the sake of a future that could only be attained through hard work and focus. For all their differences, there were similarities between Hanako and Haruhi that endeared the two girls to the host club all the more.
"Wouldn't you agree, Tamaki Suoh?" Ranka added as an after thought.
Tamaki threw open the closet door with a hopeful smile, "You know who I am?"
"Well, of course I do. Haruhi's told me a thing or two about you. You're the Host club's bumbling president, right?" Tamaki yelped gleefully, and Hanako laughed at the scene, completely unaware of the watchfulness of the hosts around her.
A gentle prodding on her shoulder got her attention, and she turned to Kaoru. "It's no wonder you and Haruhi get along so well," he concluded after reflecting on the similarities between them. Hanako had trouble trusting new people, but Haruhi had worked through Hana's defenses and gotten her to open up in a way that the hosts thought wasn't possible anymore.
"It's like you're the big sister she never had," Hikaru agreed.
"You know," Ranka joined in. Hanako's eyes snapped to the red haired man in drag who was watching Hana with a surprisingly soft expression, "That's not too far off. I know we've spoken on the phone, Negida-chan, but Haruhi's told me a little bit about you. I'm glad that there's a girl who she can look up to at your club, too. I have to admit that I was worried about the kind of influences Haruhi would meet at Ouran, but I can tell that you're one of the good ones."
For once, Hana was absolutely speechless. The knowing, gentle look in Ranka's gaze told her that he knew more about her than she had disclosed to him during their phone calls, but the infinite depth of understanding overwhelmed her with the kind words he said to her, paternal, almost, in nature. Hana swallowed thickly, "Thank you, Ranka."
A blissful smile broke across Ranka's face as he addressed the club in full, "Now that we've gotten all the introductions out of the way, how would you kids like to have a little fun?"
Hana followed the hosts and Ranka through the neighborhood. While they watched Haruhi, she watched their surroundings. Every so often, they would pass an intersection, and Hana would spot Tachibana's car driving up on the road parallel to them. It was a pleasant enough day with a patchy blue sky peeking out from behind a blanket of puffy, white clouds. The neighborhood was quiet enough with the sounds of some local children laughing nearby, birds chirping overhead, and locals stopping to whisper about the unfamiliar teens. Hana followed behind the boys, not quite as engaged in stalking Haruhi as the others. Nonetheless, she looked as attentive as the rest of her group.
"You look distracted," Kyoya commented. They were on the move again now that Haruhi had progressed without noticing them.
Distracted? She wouldn't have said that she was the only one who was distracted. They had spent most of the day at the Fujiokas' home, and she hadn't seen Kyoya take any notes in that pocket sized notebook he always carried with him. Kyoya, the most elitist of the group, may not have been particularly interested in how the middle class lived, but she had expected he would at least record his observations about their newest host's home.
"I'm just doing my job," she replied, holding her forearms behind her back as she followed the others.
"Fair enough," Kyoya said lightly. He could pick up on her building anxiety from the way her gaze flitted from face to face as they arrived at the more crowded area. Hana didn't do well in crowds with strangers. Frankly, the twins weren't quite comfortable with it, either, but they could power through it more easily. Public spaces meant more to watch for, and Hana equated crowds and stores like the one they were walking into with additional risks.
Five people at the front of the store. Six people working at the registers. One, two, three, four… thirteen…fifteen different shoppers that they had passed so far as they followed Haruhi to the vegetable section. One wall of windows. Three exits in sight.
"Hana," Kyoya's calm, unsuspecting voice cut through the silent count in Hana's overly active mind. She had been robotically following him through the market, always close enough to pull him out of harm's way if needed. Getting her attention had put her on alert, and she looked at him as if she was waiting for him to tell her something was wrong. "Should we bring anything home?" he asked instead, and the mechanical insipidness of her eyes was replaced with the warm light he preferred.
"I don't think so," she declined with a small shake of her head. "We can have everything we need delivered as usual. I doubt Aijima would appreciate any changes to the kitchen."
Satisfied with the change in Hana's demeanor, Kyoya relaxed and took out the notebook in his pocket, "You're right. What do you know about commoner coupons?"
{OR}
At the end of the day, the hosts bid their good byes to Ranka and Haruhi and left in two cars. Kyoya and Hanako dropped off the twins at their estate, and they each pressed kisses to Hana's cheeks before sliding out of the car. Without the twins lamenting how full their stomachs were and recounting their excitement of the commoners' market, the back of the car was much more quiet as it pulled out of the long drive way. Alone in the limousine and separated from Tachibana by the divider, Hana turned to Kyoya thoughtfully.
"So, what were you trying to do earlier with the cake?" she tried to ask it casually, but they had already spoken about what happened at the villa and come to a conclusion. Senselessly, she felt the need to remind him, "We agreed that nothing would change between us."
They decided that what happened was a one time lapse of judgment. It wasn't that there wasn't an attraction. If they lived different lives, then maybe there would be an opportunity for them to change the nature of their relationship, but Kyoya Ootori and Hanako Negida did not have room for error. They had a perfect, working relationship that straddled the lines of professional and personal. They had eyes on them everywhere, and the only peace that they could ever find was each other's company in the safety of Kyoya's bedroom where they worked endlessly towards their goals. The friendship between them was acceptable, but anything more than that would overstep their boundaries.
"Hm?" Kyoya looked up from his notebook and regarded her without revealing anything in his face. "Does it seem as though anything is changing between us? That is, with the exception of what happened at the villa."
Her stomach flipped at the memory and her skin flushed when she remembered his hooded gaze and the notes of his scent, mint and something unexpectedly masculine, as he leaned into her. No, she thought in response to his question. After that night at the villa, they acted like nothing had changed, and for the most part it hadn't. Yet, there was something about their teasing that wasn't quite the same while not being entirely different, as if there was a new kind of tension between them that wasn't wholly unwelcome. It was just like him to ask a question he already knew the answer to. No, it didn't seem as though anything had changed or was changing, but maybe, on a fundamental, unseeable level, something shifted.
"You kissed me back," his comment sounded more like a question despite the forced lightness to his tone. He remembered the way she melted into him, gripping the front of his vest like it was a lifeline. She had needed him in that moment, and he had needed her. The way that their need manifested, however, was something unbridled and uncharted. She hadn't disliked the kiss, and she tried not to dwell on the way flutter she felt in her gut. Silently, she questioned how everything was better if she didn't have feelings for Kyoya.
She was just starting to rebuild her relationships with the twins and Mitsukuni. She had just found the closure she needed for her failed engagement to Takashi. She finally made a new friend in Haruhi after years of distrust and knives in her back. The Host Club's dynamic was far more fragile than anyone realized, and any drastic changes to their foundation could topple their kingdom. On top of those relationships, she and Kyoya had found something that worked for them, and everything that was riding on their collaboration was too important for high school attraction. Besides, there was some sort of interest in Haruhi that he had yet to process, and she wouldn't get involved with that. Kissing her, she knew, was an outlet for his curiosity and intrigue. Believing that made it easier for them to carry on with their roles.
Taking her drawn out silence as her recognition that their relationship wouldn't change, Kyoya looked back at his notes from the supermarket and said, "Don't read into it too much. There's nothing more to it than what we've already discussed."
During their candid conversation upon returning from the beach house, they had shared some of the events leading up to the kiss. Hanako knew about Kyoya's conversation with Haruhi, but he hadn't told her that he had hovered over her in bed. Kyoya knew about Hanako's final attempt to talk with Takashi, but he didn't know what she had said to her ex-fiancé. It was better that way. If they didn't know everything, they couldn't be disappointed in each other.
"Hana, when you come to the room, could you see if there are any special offers from the supermarket that we could use for club merchandise?" he asked with his nose still buried in his notebook.
Hana's concern faded, and she smiled a little bit in satisfaction, "Of course, Kyoya." They were partners in this and nothing was changing. Maybe, if they skimmed over it, if they pretended that they didn't know it was there, maybe, then, everything would stay the same, and it would be okay for them to be like this, stay this close, for just a little while longer.
{OR}
A/N... I tried to be as consistent and respectful about Ranka's pronouns in this chapter, and I'd like to invite everyone to do the same with people who come into their lives :)
I'm so excited about the upcoming chapters! We're getting close to a long stretch of drama !
Next time: A waste of time. Hanako leaves during the club activities for a photoshoot with Chizuru.