It felt like ages since the Host Club had conducted a normal day of club activities. Between outdoor and off campus events, it seemed as if the music room hadn't been getting as much use as it once did. As the term drew on, they were busier and busier. Hana's schedule grew increasingly difficult to manage between the club, security duties, and her modeling career as each responsibility demanded more of her over time. She was determined to juggle the three facets of her life, along with her schoolwork, despite the obvious detriment to her efficiency.
The military and law enforcement theme that the boys chose for that day was the easiest arrangement for Hanako in a long while, and she appreciated the effort Kyoya and Tamaki made to keep some simplicity for her while her other responsibiliies picked up. As always, Hana pulled the thick cord and loose rose petals rained down upon the hosts, taking lazy paths in the air as they fell from the canopy of red velvet above.
Through the swirling petals, Hanako watched the door open and caught sight of their first guest. "Oh my, what an unusually young guest." Tamaki's observation coincided with the absolute mortification settling on Hana's face as yet another child found their way to the music room. Her jaw dropped to the ground in horror. "Well, glad you're here, my little lost kitty-cat."
"No way," Hana protested flatly, shaking her head vehemently in stark contrast with Tamaki's welcome smile and outstretched hand. The little girl didn't even come up to Hana's knees. She could have been Ageha's age, if not younger. In fact, the uniform she wore confirmed that she was a student in the preschool.
"Little kitty-cat, why have ou come to see us today?" Tamaki asked gently.
"Absolutely not. A preschooler is far too young for our activities," Hanako rebuked Tamaki's unbothered countenance. The security guard stepped away from her position at the door where she typically went unseen by their guests and joined the others in the receiving room.
"This is a reverse harem!" The high pitched declaration silenced Hana immediately. She went rigid, absolutely apalled by what she thought she heard. What? Surely, a child didn't know what that meant, right?
"That can't be right. I must've heard wrong," Tamaki smacked the side of his head, as if he was trying to empty out his ears. "Maybe there's still some water in my ear from when I went swimming."
"Water in the ear that's gotta be it," Hikaru agreed.
"I'm sure we just heard her wrong." The twins mimicked Tamaki's actions and cleaned their ears with their finger tips. "There's no way this cute, little girl said the words 'reverse harem'."
"There's debauchery here!" the wide-eyed, blonde preschooler dismissed their doubts.
"This is a liability," Hana grumbled and hung her head. The little girl started to jump and cheer about the debauchery in the club, and Hanako thought she was going to be ill.
"There's debauchery here, isn't there?" her excitement sounded like some kind of condemnation in Hana's ears. The preschooler started pointing at the hosts, "You're the glasses character! You're the boy Lolita and the stoic type! Twincest."
The scathing tone in the little girl's voice combined with the complete ease with which she identified their tropes elicited a surprising, sharp bark of laughter from their security guard. This was it, wasn't it? She never thought that it would be a girl in preschool that would get the club dismissed by the school.
"The book worm!" the walking citation with pigtails pointed at Haruhi. Turning to the other side of the line of characters, she stuck her pointer finger at Hanako. "A battle butler!"
"It's rude," the words fell from Hana's dry mouth listlessly, "to point…"
Hana's young nightmare quickly forgot about her and turned her attention to the only member of their club left. Tamaki braced himself for a similar, and somehow familiar, criticism of his character. It never came. Instead, tears pooled in her impossibly large, blue eyes. "Big brother?" Suddenly, she launched herself at Tamaki. "My brother's blond, you must be him!"
The wriggling child clung to Tamaki's neck, and the hosts broke their formation to address the new development. "We're done for," Hanako lamented to Kyoya as the twins started to question their king.
"You never told us about this!" Hikaru accused Tamaki.
"Since when do you have a little sister?"
"I don't," Tamaki insisted, flustered by the strange situation. "I'm definitely an only child. At least, as far as I know."
"The more I look at you the two of you do look a lot alike," Mitsukuni commented. Hana wasn't convinced. The European features Tamaki inherited from his mother were distinct from the little girl despite the similarity of their mixed heritage. So, they had an unknown child from the Ouran preschool in their club room, surrounded by high school boys and proclaiming debauchery. She could never catch a break with these boys, could she? "You're both blond, after all," Mitsukuni continued, ignorant to the gravity of the situation.
"I want to know if 'glasses character' is superior to 'big brother'," Kyoya questioned from between Haruhi and Hanako.
"But does it really matter?" Haruhi deadpanned. "I can't believe she called me a bookworm."
"Am I the only one here who sees the problem with this whole scenario?" Hana looked at the two clubmates she expected to see a shred of sense from.
"'Scuse me, you want to tell me your name, little one?" Tamaki asked the little girl clinging to his torso.
"Kirimi," she chirped happily in his arms. Hana committed the name to her memory and thought of who she could contact to find the people responsible for this child without getting the club in trouble for entertaining a preschooler.
"Kirimi-chan, I'm afraid you've made a mistake," Tamaki set the girl on the floor and crouched to her level. "I'm really sorry, but I don't have a younger sister."
"Are you sure?" Kirimi squeaked pitifully, on the verge of tears. "You're blond just like me." A whimper escaped from her, and Tamaki recoiled. Hana watched his resolve crumble away at a face cuter than Mitsukuni's, and his violet eyes filled with sympathetic tears.
"Well… that is true…"
"We're doomed," Hana sighed as Tamaki scooped Kirimi into his arms and twirled her around the floor, adopting the new role of her big brother.
"I know you get carried away by emotion," Haruhi voiced with a tightlipped look of exasperation, "but don't you think it's irresponsible to make such empty promises?"
"Don't you listen to that mean Haruhi!" Tamaki continued to dance around the pink tiles without a care in the world.
"What do you think we should do, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi turned to the next club officer with a sense of responsibility.
He held his chin thoughtfully, "We should probably try to find out if she actually has a brother at this school." Hana opened her mouth to tell him that they would need a family name to identify her family when the door to the science room opened.
A shadow fell over the music room, cold air rushing into the comfortably maintained neighboring club room from the open door. "Kirimi, Kirimi," Nekozawa's voice called. When Hanako and the others turned, they saw a young man at the door who bore a striking resemblance to the preschooler.
"Hey, uh, who the hell are you?" the twins asked.
"He looks like a foreigner!" Mitsukuni noted with excitement.
"Oh, Kirimi," Nekozawa approached the Tamaki and the small girl. Hana watched with her arms crossed and attention sharp as the club, once again, took a turn for the lively.
"Master," a baritone sounded from the doorway as two more figures joined them in the music room.
"You forgot your cloak," a refined female voice added. The security guard appointed to Nekozawa and one of his family's maids cast the familiar fabric over Umehito's head and wrapped him in the garment.
"Nekozawa-senpai?" the first years and Tamaki blanched at the incredible difference the cloak and wig made. Hanako regarded the Nekozawa family staff coolly as they dipped their heads apologetically to the hosts.
"Master Umehito is terrible vulnerable to any kind of bright light," the maid, Kuretake, explained, tears in her eyes as she continued. "For that reason, if he doesn't shroud himself in black, he will fall victim to the brightness of the outside world and will undoubtedly collapse. And just to be comfortable, he even has to cover his beautiful blond hair with a dark wig." The melodramatic caretaker swooned, and the familiar, bald secretary of the Nekozawa family continued.
"On the other hand, his sister, Mistress Kirimi is firghtened of dark, dimly-lit places," Kadomatsu told them.
"It sounds as though Nekozawa-sama would benefit from treatment at one of the Ootori hospitals," Hanako remarked, unimpressed by the tale that the other family's staff members shared with them.
"You may be right. Should we give him a referral?" Kyoya wondered, equally uninspired by the melodrama. They watched Umehito brandish the hideous puppet at Kirmi and lumber towards her, his typical, awkward laughter doing nothing for his frightening appearance.
"Brother! Save me from the monster!" Kirmi shrieked and leapt into Tamaki's arms. Hana sighed heavily and approached the Nekozawa family staff while her friends informed Umehito of his mistake.
The body guard stopped beside the other staffers with her arms crossed and hip cocked in a blasé, disapproving posture. "Please take Kirimi away from the Host Club," she requested, eyes sliding to where her godbrothers devilishly tugged at Umehito's cloak. "Her young age makes her a liability for our club."
Mitsukuni pulled the curtains halfway closed, and Kirimi began wailing in Tamaki's embrace. Neither of the staff members moved to separate her from the Host Club's president. Hana took note of their hesitation and felt disappointment in the other family's staff. A personal staff member herself, Hanako took great pride in her ability to provide for the Ootoris and in her staff members' ability to meet the needs of the family. Seeing her peers perform so poorly annoyed her.
Easily ignoring Hanako's voiced concern, Kuretake turned and stepped up beside Haruhi. "It's a tragedy that these two siblings are such polar opposites. As a result, they have come to be known as the Nekozawa family's Romeo and Juliet."
Hana and Haruhi shared an unimpressed look at the maid's assertion. "But Romeo and Juliet weren't brother and sister," Haruhi pointed out. "I think their situation was a little different."
"Oh, I'm well aware of that," Kuretake assured the honor student with a smile. "To be honest, it's something I just came up with on the fly, pretty impressive, huh?"
Hanako felt her irritation burning at the periphery of her focus. The Nekozawas' drama was far from unmanageable, but the longer that they all occupied the music room, the more obvious it was to Hana that their inefficient staff contributed to the problem. "I thought it might make the story more dramatic," Kuretake smiled sweetly and unrolled a parchment.
A bitter taste came into Hana's mouth as her disapproval flared. She knew full well that there were people who thrived on drama, despite all good intentions, and she couldn't successfully reconcile that personality type with the responsibilities of a competent staff member.
"Oh, I see," Haruhi blanched and responded dryly.
"We were sent by the Master's family to get our beloved Mistress Kirimi back home safely," Kadomatsu informed their club members.
"It would be appreciated if you fulfill your task promptly," Hanako seethed, checking her watch to see how much time had lapsed since they arrived.
"Is the rest of the family…"
"As out of touch as the three of you are?" Kaoru finished for his twin.
Kuretake's personality shifted immediately, a furious aura flashing around her as she raged at the brothers. "How dare you say such a terrible thing?!" the woman snarled, shaking Umehito by his shoulders. "The Nekozawas are a distinguished family. They're descendants of the Tokarev dynasty of Russia!"
The brothers cowered behind Hanako as Umehito stumbled in a dizzy haze. The body guard crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the other woman. "Kuretake," the lazy warning silenced the older maid. "Control yourself, please? You're a guest here, and you've overstayed your welcome as it is."
Under Hanako's critical gaze, Kuretake composed herself. She had heard stories from other households and staff members about the merciless commitment Hanako Negida reserved for her post under the Ootori family's employment. Disobeying her direct instruction could negatively impact her career permanently. Despite her age, they held her in high regard. The Negidas had been known for their precision and competence in the field of security, but with Akina Negida working alongside her husband, they had also become revered for their hospitality.
The hosts cocked their heads to the side questioningly as they processed Kuretake's previous comments. Even Haruhi wasn't as fazed by Kuretake's sudden deference to Hana. The rookie host had started to recognize how influential Hanako was among other employees, and she no longer thought twice about the unlikely role Hanako played in upperclass society.
"Tokarev, huh?" Kyoya considered the claim.
"Wait," Tamaki spoke up, "you mean Romanov, right?"
Nekozawa's maid turned away from him and continued to share their family's lore without addressing the discrepancy. "There's a legend that says once every few hundred years, a Nekozawa child is born, a child who is destined to be possessed by the darkness, exactly like our Master Umehito. That legend may or may not be true."
"What do you mean it may or may not be true?" Mitsukuni questioned.
"Is it or isn't it?" the twins prompted her for a straight answer. What little interest Hana reserved for the new development faded the longer the Nekozawas' staff members remained with them. Their less than acceptable performance was only further highlighted by whatever they had to say about the siblings.
"We've tried to keep her comforted by reading her bedtime stories about princely characters like her brother, but we ran out of stories. So, recently, we decided to start reading her shojo manga that had princely characters in them! And I'm afraid she's become completely addicted!" Kuretake's lack of remorse for their poor choice of content reignited Hana's disapproval of the staff members.
"Have you no sense of responsibility?" The critical bite to Hana's question startled her godbrothers out from behind her. "It's unfit to read inappropriate literature to a young lady."
The two servants cowed to the fierce young woman. "We didn't know what else to do," Kuretake said with tears in her eyes. "Mistress Kirimi's admiration for Master Umehito is the only connection they share."
"So, Kirimi-chan doesn't know that you're her real older brother, Nekozawa-senpai?" Haruhi's upfront question evoked a sheepish response from the third year student. A gloom settled over him, and Umehito cowered on the floor in despair and embarrassment.
"Yes," Kuretake confirmed for him. "We've talked to her but she refuses to believe us."
"That seems like a failure on your parts," Hanako commented with little sympathy for the siblings' caregivers.
"It is our greatest disappointment to our employers," Kadomatsu acknowledged. "Please, Lady Negida, we are but lowly worms unworthy of our duty." Hana hummed at the pitiful secretary, unmoved by the recognition of their shortcomings as a staff. After all, while she reserved her standards and opinions, it wasn't her job to mind employees of the other families.
"It's painful," Nekozawa was saying to the hosts. "That's why every night, I offer prayers in hopes that one day Kirimi will come to embrace the darkness."
"I think you've got it backwards, buddy," the twins criticized.
"You should try to get accustomed to the light," Hikaru advised him as if it was the most obvious answer to the situation.
"What're you trying to do to your sister?" Kaoru questioned. The brothers looked down at the kneeling older student with judgmental frowns. Hanako reserved her thoughts in silence, shoving Nekozawa's makeshift altar back into the science classroom's side of their shared door while the others were distracted. Kaoru and Hikaru were good big brothers, and Hanako had become quite proud of them for their relationship with Ageha. Obviously, they put Ageha first and expected all other older siblings to do the same. After all, that was the example that had been set for them.
"Come along, Mistress Kirimi," Kadomatsu finally addressed the preschooler.
"It's time to go home," Kuretake agreed.
A shrill cry pierced their ears as Kirimi screamed and held tighter to Tamaki as Hanako tried to pry the tiny girl off her friend by under her arms.
"I'm not going with you! I don't wanna go home!" Kirimi kicked her legs against Hana's arms and torso. "I wanna stay with my Big Brother!" The little girl finally managed to wear Hana to the end of her patience, and the body guard gave up her efforts to remove her from Tamaki's neck. Annoyed and resigned to whatever chaos was about to take hold of the club, Hanako sulked over to her godbrothers.
"Make sure she gets the love she deserves," Umehito's strained voice gave away the emotions concealed by his wig and hood, and the president of the Dark Magic Club rushed into the hallway slamming the door behind him as Tamaki called out to his senior.
"Sibling relations are a source of problems in any family," Kyoya remarked knowingly. Tamaki and Hanako shared a look of quiet reservation behind Kyoya's back. The two friends knew better than the others how strained Kyoya's relationship was with his brothers, but before they could think on it for much longer, Haruhi spoke up.
"Even so, I'm kinda jealous." They turned to the female host, whose sad, cocoa eyes gazed out the window distantly. "I grew up an only child so I can't really relate. But I can't imagine how tough it must be to have a sibling that's so different from you that you can't even spend time together."
Hanako, an only child herself, reflected on Haruhi's thought. She had known that loneliness during the time when she isolated herself from Hikaru, Kaoru, and Ageha. Yet, they were as close as any blood related siblings. Of all the families in their circle, they were the closest. Their proximity in age brought them closer together than the fraternal relationship between Takashi and Satoshi. Then, a weight settled in her heart as her doubts reminded her that the Hitachiins were leagues away from her. A family at the top of the world couldn't have anything to do with someone like her. It wasn't proper. It was disgraceful. "Yeah," Hanako agreed with the other girl softly. "I wonder what it's like."
A sharp rap fell on the top of her head, and she frowned at Kaoru's cheeky smirk behind her, "What are you talking about? You and Hikaru argue all the time." The heaviness in her chest disappeared at the ease in the way Kaoru regarded her, and she was reminded that they weren't so far out of her reach anymore.
Hikaru's hand landed on the top of her head, "It's because she's so damn stubborn." Hana smiled at him, grateful for their recognition and even more appreciative of their forgiveness. Their brief familial moment passed, and the trio turned their attention to Tamaki.
He set Kirimi on the floor and said to her gently in response to her confusion, "I'm sorry, Kirimi, but I'm not the big brother that you've been looking for. Don't worry, he's still out there. Believe it or not, you have a big brother that's even more handsome than I am, and I promise you he's a real prince." The unexpected maturity quickly morphed into noble determination, and they all knew where this was going. "Once she step foot into this room, Kirimi-chan became a guest of the Host Club, and it's our job to make all of our guests happy," Tamaki reminded them.
Hanako sighed as he continued and made a note in the clipboard. They needed to consider a special agreement with the school that would allow them to work with younger students without repercussions. She would look into it at the first opportunity.
"We have to do something to help them!" Their club president concluded. "Starting now, Operation: Change Nekozawa-senpai into the Princely Character of Kirimi-chan's Dreams is underway!"
"Are you serious?" Kaoru and Hikaru voiced on either side of Hana.
"It'd be a win if he would just take off the cloak and wig," Hanako stated.
"But sir," Kadomatsu stammered and cast a fretful glance at Hanako, hoping that she would say something.
"You want to change Umehito from a prince of darkness to a prince of light? I don't know if that's even possible."
"Senpai," Haruhi scolded Tamaki sternly, "Quit getting carried away by your emotions! Don't make promises you can't keep."
The blond smirked, "Hm. Oh ye of little faith. Have you forgotten that we have an expert on our side? Someone who knows the importance of changing characters."
"Hana-senpai," Haruhi turned to the older girl as Hikaru and Kaoru frowned at each other, realizing what Tamaki meant, "please talk some sense into him."
The long-haired girl raised a brow at Haruhi, bemused by faith she had in Hana's ability to talk to Tamaki. "Haruhi, you're assuming that he actually listens to me." A cackle sounded under the hollow floors, and the tiles separated, giving way to Renge's mechanic platform. "There has to be an easier way." The sound of the whirring installation drowned out her mutter, and Hanako shook her head.
{OR}
The Host Club joined the Magic Club in Science Room 3 two days after Tamaki declared his commitment to helping the Nekozawas, and Hanako observed the ridiculous training that Renge imposed on Nekozawa. In the security of the darkened room, Umehito removed his cloak and wig, reciting the lines that Renge fed him like a seasoned actor right up to the point where he declared, "It's as if you're a cursed wax doll shrouded in malevolence."
Renge's paper fan smacked the heir sharply as he got it wrong again, and she chastised him harshly, "No way! You've got it all wrong! You numbskull!"
"Looks like Renge is really on top of things," Kyoya observed from where they watched along the sidelines. Hanako hummed thoughtfully, maintaining her opinion that the spartan approach seemed out of place for the task. Hana checked her watch, and she clicked her tongue impatiently.
"Yeah, she's on a roll!" Mitsukuni agreed.
"But I'm not sure the lines she's feeding him are appropriate to use on his sister," Hikaru remarked.
"This is going to be as successful as her plan to change your characters when she first got here," Hanako commented in agreement with the bored looking first year. She checked her watch again and pushed off the table that she was leaning against. "This is a waste of time. I'm heading out, now, I'll see all of you tomorrow."
Kyoya sounded his recognition of her departure wordlessly, and the other three hosts looked at her in confusion. It wasn't typical for Hana to leave in the middle of club activities. "Where are you going?" Hikaru and Kaoru questioned in unison.
"Chizuru's manager reached out to your mom about a job for the two of us, and the photographer couldn't wait until the weekend to shoot it," she informed them, checking her watch again. The car had to be waiting for her in the school's drive way. "I don't want to be late, have a good afternoon," she waved to them on her way out.
Admittedly, the time alone from the moment she left the Science Room to her arrival at the photoshoot's site in the city wasn't unwelcome. Without the task of protecting the boys and confident in her own safety, Hanako watched her surroundings with little interest but maintained her pleasant half-smile as people on the set approached her. The young woman was as polite as ever, teetering on the edge of unapproachable, but when she found Chizuru seated in front of a mirror in the dressing room, the removed demeanor shifted into a more comfortable and friendly countenance.
"I was wondering when you would get here," Chizuru said to Hana as the other girl took a seat beside her at the request of her guide. "How is the young maiden faring with that despicable Host Club?"
"Don't talk about my friends like that, Chizu," Hana drawled. The warning edge to her voice didn't seem to bother the tawny haired model, and Chizuru respectfully did as Hana asked. Chizuru was one of the few people who could take Hana's protectiveness in stride. Where others shrank away or sneered down at her, Chizuru smiled softly in understanding or let the moment go altogether. "Haruhi's doing well. We visited her home not that long ago."
"Oh? I'm surprised you were able to get the boys to go into a commoner neighborhood." Hana sighed at her friend's thinly veiled disdain for her club mates but knew that it was as good of an effort as possible.
"They're actually the ones who wanted to go," she shared, much to Chizuru's surprise. The two friends chatted about developments in their respective clubs' activities, and while they spoke, Hana's gaze swept across their surroundings. On the far side of the floor, she recognized someone who caused the corners of her mouth to turn down unhappily. Nana wore a Victorian inspired costume, shades of pink and blue incorporated into her cute outfit while she smiled sweetly at their coworkers. The girlish looking model must have noticed Hana's attention on her because she turned in their direction.
The pleasant, excited smile painted on her face as she approached the two girls fed Hana's growing dislike for her. There was something about Nana that put her off, but to all the world she was an innocent and talented young girl breaking into the industry. "Chizuru-senpai! Negida-san!" she greeted cheerfully, "It's so good to see you both."
"Hello, Nanami," Chizuru greeted with a surprising warmth to her voice. Hana sat back and observed the pretty blush on her friend's face as the other model took in Nana's assigned garments. "You look very lovely today."
"Thank you so much! That means a lot coming from you," Nana smiled, and Chizuru's blush deepened. "Let's do our best today, okay?" The younger girl turned to Hanako, waiting expectantly for the raven haired model to play the game. She was disappointed, obviously, when Hana passed her cool, caramel colored gaze over her. Her features didn't change in the slightest, and Nana flushed angrily when Hanako turned her attention away from the younger model, unimpressed by what she saw.
"Please excuse her," Chizuru's forever poised and demure voice said to Nana. "Hana-chan must be tired from a long day at school."
"Oh, that's okay," Nana's cheerfulness couldn't disguise the indignance in her eyes or the red staining her neck and ears. "It must be tough at Ouran. I'll see you on set!" The girl turned away from them and joined a few other models getting their hair done for the shoot.
"I don't need you to speak for me," Hanako told her friend lightly as an attendant came over to help them with their hair. Hanako had been dressed in an elegant violet gown held up by thin straps on her shoulders. The neckline accentuated her modest cleavage and the silken fabric clung to her hips before cascading to the floor.
"You were being rude," Chizuru pointed out with a derisive huff. "I don't understand why you dislike her so much." The girl crossed her arms across her peach colored ballgown. Her tiered skirt flared out at her hips, and she looked like a displeased princess with her nose stuck up in the air.
Hana couldn't qualify what it was about Nana that made her stomach churn unpleasantly. Nothing other than her overenthusiastic curiosity was out of place, and even that could easily be dismissed as something akin to admiration for a senior coworker. Chizuru was likely more familiar with Nana than Hanako was, given the fact that they were schoolmates, and if there was a glaringly obvious red flag, the Lobelia idol would have noticed it. Yet, something about the girl put Hana on edge. There was something swimming in that girlish, unassuming innocence that revealed a different personality, one more dangerous than what she seemed to be.
They conducted the photoshoot quite easily, and the photographer raved about the performance that Chizuru and Hanako put on for him. The two girls worked well together, and without the twins on set, Hana ended up sticking to Chizuru's side closely. If the other model noticed, she didn't say anything about it. More of the models engaged Chizuru and Hana in conversation during the break, and it was only because of Chizuru's presence that they felt less intimidated by Hanako's stand-offish appearance. Chizuru was like a buffer, and Hana welcomed the different kind of support that the other girl could provide. Nobody dared approach her when she was with the twins, and the three of them didn't attract other people to them the way that Chizuru could. Granted, Hana had a tendency to fall into the background during group conversations, but she didn't mind. Sometimes, it was just enough to be present while her attention idly wandered around the room.
The girls came and went throughout the day while the photoshoot continued and eventually came to an end. They chattered as a group and drew out their goodbyes, but Hana looked past them as something more interesting took place. A young man had entered the studio that they were shooting in. There was an arrogance in the way he walked and appreciatively eyed every woman who crossed his path. He looked to be around Hana's age, and if she had to guess, she would have said that she was a year or two older than herself. He was tall, almost as tall as Takashi, she thought, but even with the flashy, tailored suit on his frame, she could tell that he was built more similarly to Kyoya and Tamaki. As he turned his head, silver piercings glinted under the artificial lighting, and when he smiled at Nana, Hana's skin crawled.
"Who's that?" one of the girls in their circle asked, watching the stranger gather Nana into his arms and spin her around in a hug.
"He's so handsome! I wonder if he's her boyfriend," another girl said with unashamed excitement. The models started to gossip about who this unfamiliar young man could be, and he made eye contact with some of them over Nana's head, smirking with a lascivious recognition that made them flock to him like moths drawn to the flame. Their response vaguely reminded Hana of the boys' fans at school, but the way he looked at them, the way he soaked up their attention, made bile rise in her throat.
Chizuru was the only one left with her after that. "Do you recognize him?" Hana asked her longtime friend, not bothering to disguise her suspicion.
She was surprised by the hard look in Chizuru's coffee brown eyes. Even when she spoke about the Host Club, Hana had never seen such a hateful look on her friend's face before. "He's Nanami's brother," she revealed. Hanako followed Chizuru's gaze back to the young man. Nana pouted up at him, and she wrapped her arms around his right one, grasping at his hand childishly. "He graduated from St. Lobelia's brother school last year, and he causes all sorts of trouble for the girls at school."
Hana's expression darkened as she observed how he interacted with his sister, noting that she never would have guessed that the two were related, "How so?"
"He's the worst kind of man," Chizuru's sharp and scornful tone fed Hana's growing unease. "He causes all sorts of scandal for the girls at Lobelia. He arrives at rehearsals unannounced and will disappear with a different girl for hours at a time. I've never seen him with the same girl twice, but Nanami adores him." That much was obvious. The blonde girl gazed up at her older brother with admiration, but it was nothing like the admiration she had seen in Kirimi's sky blue eyes when she found Tamaki. A memory of Hikaru and Kaoru swam in her mind mockingly, like a sick joke that Hana couldn't forget.
"What's his name?" she forced down the nausea that threatened to overtake her.
"His name is Daichi," the light haired model hissed his name hatefully.
"Surname?" Hana pressed. There wasn't anything that she could do with just the first name. Chizuru hesitated beside her, and Hana tore her attention away from the brother and sister on the other side of the studio to question her friend's pause.
"I don't want to cause any trouble for Nanami." The cause of her pause seemed less like a surprise to Hanako after seeing her friend interact with the younger model, but what did surprise her was that Chizuru seemed to regard this girl so highly that she would withhold something from Hanako. The two had been through thick and thin together. When the rest of the world fell away, Chizuru had been the only one standing, and when Chizuru had questioned her own sexuality after meeting Benio, Hanako had been the first one to accept her with open arms.
"It's unlike you to hold out on me, Chizuru," Hana pointed out lightly. There were no secrets between them, and Chizuru sighed as she recognized how uncharacteristic it was of her to leave Hana in the dark.
"I can tell that you don't like her," Chizuru defended.
"She was snooping for something to use against me," the body guard informed her friend factually, and Chizuru frowned. She knew how sensitive Hanako was about that, and she had dispelled her fair share of rumors on her friend's behalf. "I'm not asking for selfish reasons."
"You need to stop treating everyone like a security threat." She shook her head and regarded Hana with concern.
"Your reluctance isn't doing anything for my suspicions," Hana pointed out. She already knew that the siblings were involved with the yakuza somehow. Chizuru had mentioned that during the cultural exhibition, but she didn't bother looking into it because it wasn't significant enough to cause concern. There were students at Ouran from prominent yakuza families, and as much as she disapproved of them, she considered them more of a nuisance than a threat.
Knowing that Hanako was stubborn and wouldn't give up until Chizuru told her what she knew, the girl relented. "Their father is a yakuza boss," she admitted with exasperation, but she regarded Hanako with a guarded and knowing side eye, "I know your opinion of the yakuza, and before you say anything, you, of all people, should know better than to judge people on their parents' reputations."
The reminder stung faintly, but Hanako ignored it and scoffed, "It's a judgment on the company they keep." She didn't condone criminals and thugs, and their unsavory, underhanded practices did nothing to convince her that they were valid organizations.
"In that case," Chizuru said with a flip of her long, curled hair, "you should go easy on Nana. At the very least, she's trying to break into our world on her own."
"Do you really believe that her family isn't putting pressure on someone down the line?"
Chizuru raised a brow at her friend and rose to her challenge without waver, "Anyone could say the same thing about you."
They lapsed into silence, and Hana acknowledged that people had, in fact, said the same thing about her but not in so many words. Instead, they assumed that she siphoned her fame from her mother's name and her godmother's work without acknowledging the effort that she put into her career. They thought she took advantage of the Ootoris to attend the esteemed private institution. She knew what they whispered about when they thought her back was turned, but she knew that they were wrong. Perhaps she should have given the siblings the benefit of the doubt, but her gut warned her not to let her guard down.
Hana sighed heavily and allowed the tension to leave her body. "It was good to see you," she said, dropping the subject.
The corners of Chizuru's smile turned up in a grateful smile, glad that Hanako could let go of her interest in the yakuza siblings. "It's always a pleasure working with you, Hana," Chizuru said sincerely. "We should get together sometime. Say hello to Haruhi for me."
"Of course," the girls exchanged quick pecks on their cheeks, and they waved farewell one more time before Hanako crossed the room in even, unhurried strides. On her way to the doors, she passed Daichi and Nana, and she couldn't ignore the girlish, playful squeals Daichi elicited from his younger sister as he restrained her wrist while she reached for something held out of her reach.
"Daichi! Let me see what you got me!" Nana was whining as she reached across his body for a hand that was too high for her short arms.
"Ah, what did I say about being impatient?" something about his voice made Hanako's skin crawl, but she couldn't look away. It was like every instinct she had warned her not to turn her back to him for as long as she possibly could. The triumphant, satisfied smile on his face fell away for a moment, and he paused in his teasing.
It was obvious that she hadn't meant for him to catch her staring at them, and when his jade eyes met hers, he was surprised that she didn't look away or blush. Her neutral expression didn't change in the slightest, but her body screamed at her to get out of there faster. He sneered at her, and she fought the urge to scowl and vomit. There was something absolutely sinful about him, and a little voice in her head told her that was what attracted so many girls to him. If Tamaki was the prince, this man was the rogue. She had only seen that look in his eyes once before on the beach, in the lecherous recognition in the trespassers' faces, but she knew that he was far more dangerous than the two drunks they encountered. When she looked away, it was as if she dismissed his very presence, and then, she was gone.
"Nanami," Daichi's suddenly serious tone got his sister's attention, and she saw him gazing at the door, "who was that girl just now?"
Nana looked at her brother's face. She knew that expression. Something ugly clawed at her when the recognition hit her full force. He smiled at the doors but it was anything but cheerful. It was the look he had when he found a new interest somehing he would take and make his own. She had seen it while he worked. She had seen it when he stopped by her rehearsals. Her face twisted sourly, "Her name's Hanako Negida."
"Hanako Negida?" he repeated the name, testing it on his tongue. A slow smile stretched across his face.
{OR}
Hana entered through the door in the garage, aware of Tachibana's attentive gaze on her back. She had been particularly quiet during the drive home, and even though he didn't ask, he knew tthat something was wrong. She wasn't easily affected by people. Crowds were one thing. The consistent threat to her friends' safety was one thing. This unease that he inspired just by looking at her was another. If Nanami made her blood boil, then her brother made it curdle with just a look. Something was wrong with those two, but she couldn't place what it was. She took the long walk to Kyoya's room, not bothering to change out of her suit, hoping to shake the memory of the siblings. Kyoya glanced up at her with mild interest when she entered his room, but as soon as he saw it was her, he got back to work without sparing her a second glance, just like usual.
"How did the photoshoot go?" he asked, moving some papers on the low table.
"Better than wasting what was left of the day," she replied with some amusement as she joined him.
"Oh, it wasn't that bad. You missed out on quite a bit of action," his vague comment roused her suspicion and she arched her brow at him.
"Were there any added bills to the hosts' activities today?"
"There was just a broken window in the science room," he answered easily, "but the Black Magic Club is taking responsibility for the incident. I believe Nekozawa-senpai was able to repair his relationship with Kirimi, in case you were wondering."
Hanako smiled fondly at the success Umehito was able to achieve with her friends' help. "I'm glad everything managed to go smoothly for you guys," she said lightly. Kyoya paused what he was doing and looked at her. She seemed troubled. Her skin looked pallid, and there was just the faintest hint of a tremor in her voice. It wasn't quite as obvious as it could have been, and maybe she could have actually fooled someone who didn't know her as well.
"Are you feeling well?" The concern in his voice was evident, and he scrutinised her with gentle purple-gray eyes. Daichi's smug sneer flashed in her memory but she dismissed the image quickly, hoping that Kyoya couldn't somehow tell that her hair stood on end just at the thought of that guy's face.
"I'm alright," she assured him with a convincing smile, ignoring the lump in her throat as she spoke. "Is there anything I can work on?" He regarded her carefully for another moment, and she held her breath, hoping that he didn't press the subject.
"Actually, I'd appreciate it if you could look over this proposal for me," he handed her a stack of papers. They fell into their nightly routine, and Hanako tried to forget the dangerous jade eyes that had followed her as she left the photoshoot.
{OR}
A/N... New character alert! What do you think of Daichi? What do you expect to happen next? Thank you so much to everyone reading this story for your support. I love reading your reviews, and I'm always open to interacting with my readers if you have questions about this story (plot, character, continuation works, etc.)
Next time: A sour note. Hanako has a few moments with Takashi while Mitsukuni seeks out sweets.