Reporters re-established their trenches in front of the Negida family's estate after Hanako's engagement to Takashi Morinozuka was announced. The newly engaged pair walked hand in hand along a path that led through the Morinozuka property, where it was much quieter than the Negidas'. They had been walking for almost fifteen minutes, and Takashi noticed that his fiancee had yet to say anything to him. She may not have been chatty, but he knew that she enjoyed a good conversation and a meaningful exchange here and there.
"What's wrong?" he asked, certain that there was something bothering her.
"I'm sorry." Her apology caught him off guard, and there was nothing that he thought she needed to apologize for. He cast a look of confusion at her and waited for her elaboration. She didn't throw words around uselessly. Every word that fell from her lips was chosen with intent and spoken deliberately. "The engagement was arranged so suddenly, and I know it's all to help save my family's reputation and the company. I'm grateful, and I'll make it up to you some day."
"Hanako," he said her name gently, in all seriousness, and brought her hand to his lips, brushing a kiss on her knuckles before lifting his smoldering gaze to her face, "you can make it up to me by becoming my wife." It was all he wanted. They were fortunate that the solution to such awful circumstances was one that could lead to their happiness. They were already falling in love, and too few people in their situation were able to say that.
She smiled at him, all worry and guilt dispelled from her mind. "Alright, I will." The gardens were always the place where they met, and for the first time in a very long time, she brimmed with happiness.
{OR}
Hana pulled on the familiar silk cord, releasing a deluge of fresh rose petals upon the princesses who opened the door. The hosts greeted their guests in the waiting room, and the girls who were fortunate to be at the front of the crowd received a perfectly balanced welcome from handsome young men emulating members of the Shinsengumi.
The new term was a busy one, but Hanako found that she wasn't quite as encumbered with tasks for the club as usual. Renge and Haruhi took on more responsibility in supportive roles, and to everyone's surprise, the three girls made a pretty good team. The club's manager did more than advertisement and theme development. She left the details to Hanako, but Renge took up a post behind the scenes when handymen showed up to build the fantasy. She completed all the directions for the crew and ensured that the temporary installments were authentic and sturdy. Meanwhile, Haruhi received and plated all of the snacks and refreshments in the kitchen, doing inventory and making sure that they received everything that was ordered. She set out the pre-approved dishware that Hanako selected and divided the dishes between ready to serve and prepare for later. The two of them lightened Hana's workload considerably, and she was able to focus on reigning in the flood of guests. Hanako checked in the arrivals on her worn, leather padfolio and guided them to their host.
After she led the last guest in the first hour slot to Tamaki's section, Hana made her way to Kyoya's side. There wasn't a single blank space on the hosts' calendars for the day. The theme was a complete hit, and nobody in the club was spared from participating. Renge and Haruhi donned their late Edo costumes, and even Hanako wore a western style suit that better fit the period. Instead of her sleek black jacket, Hana wore a black waistcoat over her white collared shirt and pulled her hair into a knot at the base of her head.
"We're booked solid for the entire day," Hana reported to Kyoya while Renge presented a brief slideshow about the Shinsengumi's appeal. She passed her notes to him. "This should make up for that week last month when the first years weren't able to see guests."
Kyoya nodded in agreement and wrote in his own observations in the margins as Renge joined them. "Not having us cast ourselves in specific roles was good advice," he said to the first year girl, who glowed at the compliment. "Allowing the guests to just be free to fantasize on their own was truly a brilliant idea, Renge. I'm very impressed."
"You did very well," Hana agreed.
"I told you it would work," Renge pointed out proudly. "But you know, I think dressing Haruhi as Soji Okita was perfect." The guests in Haruhi's section squealed in delight, and Hanako took that as her cue to bow out.
The traditional Japanese elements reminded her of the sunrise zen gardens in her family's home. The repetitive knock of bamboo on stone from the rocking fountain brought her back to morning meditations with her parents. A melancholy came over her as it always did when she remembered those days, and she busied herself in the kitchen by fixing a fresh brew of green tea. She brought two cups and the pot back onto the floor.
Takashi's section was secluded from the others with a painted, paper screen. Quieter than the rest of the room, his domain in the kingdom was designed to create privacy. The wild type. The sense of anticipation that came from a tryst with the gentle giant was his hook. The calm before the storm.
He generally preferred to sit, and that was how Hana found him – seated on the bamboo bench with a prop spear leaned up next to him. His slow to rise gaze found her naturally, as if they were drawn to her whenever she was near. Hanako set the tray next to him on the bench. The awkwardness that made moments like this over unbearable over the past two years was gone, but they were a far cry from the way they used to be. It might have been because she wanted nothing to do with him, or, at least, no more to do with him than any of the others. The special place she once reserved for him belonged to someone else, and she didn't even know it.
She turned to leave. Her body swiveled slightly, and Takashi thought that he wanted just a moment more. "Pour some for me," the request fell from his lips before he could restrain himself, and he added a 'please' when she looked back at him, as if that word alone would be enough.
She heard the many emotions in his voice, but they were so jumbled that she couldn't distinguish one from the other. Like a woman in a trance, she wrapped the cloth around the handle, pressed down on the ceramic lid, and poured tea into the tall, cylindrical cup. Hanako felt his eyes on her, following and memorizing her every move.
Water trickled from the fountain behind them. Bamboo tapped against the stone basin. Tea sloshed against the sides of the cup. The gravity between them drew in his guests, but the other girls only peered around the corner to observe the rare scene.
"So, Mori has to be Kai Shimada?"
"No way. He's totally Yamazaki."
The admirers' comments were heard but mostly went unnoticed. Takashi couldn't take his eyes off the girl who carefully righted the teapot. Her hair was tucked away tightly at the nape of her neck, and he could see every inch of her face as she handed him the cup. The gravity captured Hanako, and she was trapped in an orbit of nostalgia and stormy eyes.
Click.
Takashi took the cup from her. She felt the pads of his fingertips graze the backs of hers, but her mind flew elsewhere. She plummeted back to the present, knowing the daze was just the fantasy, when an unchecked arrival joined. That sound had been the main door. She knew it like she knew her own heartbeat. Takashi's senses sharpened in response to hers, and the action that followed took only one moment.
He thrust the cup back to her, and in the same motion, he picked up the spear. Masterfully wielding it, the kendo champion lunged forward and pierced through the decorative wall. The girls watching squealed in adoration, and the hosts turned to stone in horror. They were all too distracted by the sudden movement that they overlooked his protective arm blocking Hanako's body, but Kyoya caught the stance. Light glinted off his glasses, and he wondered if he hadn't been clear the last time they spoke.
"Mori-senpai!"
"Why the sudden lunge?"
"Are you not getting enough attention?"
"Please calm down, Mori-senpai," Tamaki implored. Hanako's coiled stance matched Takashi's, and she was poised for defense, too conscious of the threat to be bothered by his arm shielding her.
"No," Takashi withdrew the spear and handed it to Hanako, stepping forward to open the sliding door. "We have a trespasser."
The red haired boy had fallen back on his hands when Takashi attacked. The stranger growled and launched to his feet, rushing forward. Prompted by the sudden movement, Hanako flipped the spear in her hands effortlessly.
"Takashi Morinozuka!" the boy roared. Takashi didn't even flinch, and the newcomer landed on his knees, face pressed against the floor, completely unaware of the prop spear poised between his shoulder blades. "Senpai! Please take me on as your apprentice!"
Hanako drew back the spear and handed it back to Takashi. Her ex-fiance's nimbus eyes widened in surprise, and he glanced at her questioningly, thinking that this had to be some strange mistake. "I'll make tea," she declared, moving onto the floor and racking her brain for the name to match the newcomer's face.
{OR}
"Ritsu Kasanoda," Kyoya read from the file open before him. "First year, class D. Heir to the third generation head of the Kasanoda Syndicate, the most powerful gang in the Kanto area. He was admitted this year into Ouran Academy's high school. He has long red hair, a mean looking appearance, is reserved, and has few friends. It is said, if your eyes meet his you'll have bad dreams for three months."
Hanako snorted softly to herself. The guard stood next to Kaoru at the end of the sofa with her arms crossed across her chest, half-sitting on the velvet arm. She didn't care for the gossip circulating through the first year classes, but she noted them in her private student files anyway.
"If you bump into him, you'll end up in the hospital, and talking back to him sends you to an early grave," her employer continued. "He is so feared by classmates that they call him the walking blizzard."
Hana maintained cautious watchfulness on Kasanoda. He looked like yakuza from his mean face to his long hair and disheveled uniform. She had no reason to dislike him, but Hanako had her biases. Yakuza typically meant trouble, and there was enough trouble in the Host Club without whatever baggage this one brought to their door. The last time they engaged with D class students, Haruhi could have been seriously hurt.
"Seriously? But why would a human weapon like yourself wanna be Mori-senpai's apprentice?" Tamaki asked cluelessly. Hana was not exempt from the club's curiosity.
"Well, because, look, I may be tough, but I'm not a human weapon," Kasanoda answered regretfully. "I was just born with a face that makes me look mean all the time."
"Well, at least you're aware of it, Casanova," the Hitachiins acknowledged.
"It's Kasanoda," the red head corrected pointedly.
"Bossa Nova?"
The glower on their guest's face intensified. "I said it was Kasanoda! Do you wanna die?" He lurched forward and snapped at them.
Hanako's hand suddenly came down on the wooden table with a loud slam, and she leaned forward on it with a snarl as fierce as his own while the twins and Tamaki cowered behind the sofa. "Cool it," she warned him, and the daggers she glared at him set off an alarm in his head.
Kyoya continued to scribble on the clipboard and only intervened lazily, "Stand down, Hana." She lifted herself back to her full height slowly, making sure he knew who had dominance in the room before falling back onto the arm of the sofa with her arms crossed.
"Man, he really is mean-looking!" the cowards behind the sofa chorused.
He caught himself, then, and regained his composure. "Sorry 'bout that. This always happens 'cause of the way I look. I've always had this mean look, ever since I was born. Even when I was just a tyke, my dad would say…"
He told them about his upbringing in Tokyo's underworld. It was nothing new to any of them. He had a family legacy, and while it was different from theirs, the story was the same. If there was ever an opposite to the Negidas' legacy of honest decency and security implementation, it was the Kasanoda Syndicate. Frankly, if there was an opposite to Hanako Negida, it was him.
"My pops was a good teacher and he made me a true gangster. That's great and all, but everyone's afraid to come near me. Even my fellas are scared of me. So, I'm all alone." His sadness turned into frustration, and gripped his forehead with a palm, "It's like they forget I'm young, and sometimes I just wanna play. I wanna get out with my fellas n' play a game of kick the can."
His grammar was appalling, but Hanako couldn't say she was surprised. What did surprise her was how easily he identified what he was feeling and relayed it. She hadn't expected a yakuza heir to be so introspective.
"I've been livin' the life of a gangster, and I don't know how to interact with regular people," he admitted. Hana wondered what type of regular people he expected to find at the Host Club. "Morinozuka-senpai, that's why I need you to show me. How do you manage to have so many friends? When you're just as mean-looking as me?"
Hanako tilted her head to the side questioningly, and somewhere behind her, she heard Takashi's horrified intake of breath. Mean wouldn't be the word she used to describe her ex-fiance's appearance. "You're expressionless, distant, and you hardly ever talk." No, those weren't quite right, either. "You've got a mug that looks like a watchdog from hell."
A laugh sputtered from Hana's lips at that one, and Kaoru looked over to her. It had been a long time since he heard her laugh at the mention of Takashi Morinozuka. Hanako looked nothing but amused at the list Kasanoda threw together of perceived similarities between himself and Mori. Takashi was never truly expressionless. Intense, contemplative, and judicious were what Hanako would have chosen for Takashi. His eyes may be as fathomless as a stormy sky over the sea, but the man was as steady as the eye of the storm. It was, at least, a change of pace to see him so alarmed for once.
"How you got so many friends? What're you doin' that I'm not?" Kasanoda threw himself on the floor again. "Please, teach me your secrets! I'm begging you!" Takashi worked out a point of tension on his forehead and stabilized his head in his hand while the other hosts awaited instruction.
"Just leave him alone, don't get involved," Tamaki advised the twins, and for once, Hanako agreed with him. She took the spot on Kyoya's right and watched him jot down a few more notes.
"We should toss him out now before he brings some sort of trouble along," Hanako voiced quietly to the man completely removed from the situation behind them.
"Don't you think you're jumping the gun with your judgment?" he inquired.
Usually, she'd grant some leniency. After all, he couldn't be held responsible for his family's line of work. However… cruel jade eyes came into her mind again, as they had been for weeks. They needed to be more careful. "I'm just doing my job," she fell silent after that.
"Mori-senpai decides what to do," Tamaki decided for them. Hana turned around like Haruhi and watched the rest of what they had to say. "This isn't something that any of us should be interfering with."
"Tamaki." Takashi looked blue in the face when he lifted his head again.
Instantly, the club's president accepted the unspoken call for help. "Well, in that case, since you insist, Mori-senpai…" Hanako tuned out the rest of Tamaki's dramatic speech and got back to her feet. She walked around the sofa and joined the cousins at their table for two.
"More tea?" she asked the stone faced host whose nerves still felt fried despite the cup he already finished.
He groaned and nodded, "Yes, please." It was exactly what he needed, and she hummed in understanding before turning back to the kitchen.
She brewed a fresh pot of white tea for the cousins to share. Takashi, despite his height and build, was sensitive to caffeine and other substances. If his distress was any indication, the older student would not appreciate a stimulant. White tea brewed quickly, and Hanako brought a small pot out for them. When she returned, she saw that Tamaki had taken over for Takashi.
"There is also one very definitive thing that you are lacking," he was saying, "and that is a lovely item!"
Hana poured the lightly fragrant tea into cups for the cousins and glanced at the boys kneeling on the floor. "What nonsense is he going on about now?"
"I have no idea." Takashi sounded tired, far more tired than he had been earlier.
"A lovely item?"
"Bossa Nova, I would like to introduce you to a lovely item named Mitsukuni," Tamaki introduced the other blond, who giggled in the spotlight. Hana hung by the table with her hip cocked slightly, wondering when this ride would become a trainwreck. "Sure, Mori-senpai may be kind of mean looking, and he may seem distant when you first meet him. But what if we put Mitsukuni on his shoulders? Suddenly it's like he's a forest teddy-bear that all the animals adore."
Takashi couldn't decide if any of this should have been offensive or not, and he slouched more in his chair as Tamaki continued. "In addition, this lovely item also plays up Mori-senpai's strong and silent character. Even without saying anything, just by placing Honey-senpai next to him, people begin to have a new found admiration for Mori-senpai. Suddenly, he's seen in a positive light as a nice quiet young gentleman. That's the plan!"
Hanako wasn't sure if she should correct Tamaki in his odd sales pitch. He wasn't quite wrong, but it wasn't an entirely accurate depiction of Takashi's character. The Morinozukas were all perfectly well-raised young men and women.
"I'm not exaggerating when I say most of Mori-senpai's charm is directly related to his friend Honey-senpai!"
"Yeah, you're right," the first year hosts agreed. On Hana's left, Takashi gaped in disbelief. He couldn't quite process what was happening. The day had started out so well for him.
"Now that you mention it, Mori-senpai…"
"Doesn't really do anything," Hikaru concluded
"Yeah, his position's totally a bust." The host in question turned his head stiffly in horror.
"All of you, that's your senpai," Hanako reminded them, crossing her arms sternly and reminding them to respect their senior. She had no idea what they were on about. Takashi was as reliable as the rest of them. He didn't have to act out to be alluring. It was one of the things that set him apart from the other club members. She allowed her gaze to follow his long legs and arms, taking in the gracefulness of his neck and the rich, darkness of his hair. He was still handsome. He always would be. More than that, he was an excellent listener, patient, and kind. Right, he didn't have to do much.
"Takashi," Mitsukuni whimpered on her right. "Have you really been using me this entire time?"
The man's voice came out completely garbled, unable to decide what words to say. He floundered, and his already standing tufts of hair seemed to be shocked on end. Horrified, Takashi mutely flew to his feet and shook his head vehemently in the presence of Mitsukuni's tears.
"I'm sorry, but Honey-senpai is on a long-term lease to Mori-senpairight now, so I can't let you borrow him," they all heard Tamaki say, and Mitsukuni wailed louder.
"Is Tama-chan telling the truth? Are you renting me?" the oldest boy's eyes shimmered, and Takashi's jaw dropped to the table. What was he supposed to do to fix this one?
Between them, a delicate laugh sounded while the man in distressed flailed helplessly. Despite the hole that Tamaki dug Takashi into, she thought it was funny. It had been so long since anything to do with Takashi made her laugh, and his head snapped to her in shock. He gazed at her with wide pewter eyes like a man who had seen the face of a shinto goddess - unable to regulate his reactions with the problems at hand. His heart thundered wildly in his chest, and a lump stuck in his throat. "I'll take care of it," she assured him, and Takashi collapsed back into his chair in a heap of long limbs and relief.
"Hana-chan," Mitsukuni turned his watery gaze to her, and she just patted down the fluffy hair on his head.
"Now, now, Mitsukuni, Tamaki just means that you're most greatly appreciated by Takashi," she assured him.
"Really?" Mitsukuni pressed, like a child in need of validation.
She graciously gave it to him, "Really. Now, would you please stop stressing out your cousin? Just look at him." She gestured to the pathetically frazzled young man across the table.
Tamaki snapped his fingers and brought the twins to attention, "Now, Hitachiin brothers."
"Sir!" the boys saluted.
"It's your job to make this man more fashionable."
"Roger." They leapt at Kasanoda with surprising height and whisked him off to the prep room. Hanako rolled her eyes. If there was anything those two enjoyed, it was a good makeover. What better canvas was there than Ritsu Kasanoda? In the absence of the first year boys, the main floor felt much less chaotic.
Hana looked upon the messy haired host who seemed to have had too much excitement for one day. "They're just giving you a hard time," she told him. "Don't take anything they're saying to heart." Their particular brand of teasing could be too much at times, but it came from a place of comfort and familiarity.
He drew himself up into a proper sitting position. "Thanks." He appreciated the reminder, and it only meant more coming from her.
"This doesn't mean you're off the hook for pushing your tea at me earlier," she pointed out with a stern look in her eyes. It wasn't as harsh as the look she had in Karuizawa, but the sentiment was the same. "I can take care of myself."
Kyoya, who had been particularly soundless throughout the whole ordeal, turned in his seat next to Haruhi for the first time and regarded the former couple with a guarded expression. He saw her standing in the midpoint between the cousins, but it still seemed too close to Morinozuka. She wasn't holding her former betrothed with the same warmth, but her gaze seemed too content. Maybe it wasn't her. It could have just as easily been the gratitude and appreciation in Mori's too earnest expression. It could have just as easily been admiration or something more.
"Hanako," he called to the girl. She looked up at his summons and promptly came to his side. "We still need to clear out the leftovers and bring down the tableware before locking up today. Would you mind getting started on that while the others deal with this mess?"
She nodded without complaint and got back to work, picking up the remaining dishes from the tables. "Hana-senpai, let me help," Haruhi volunteered, suddenly remembering that she still had work, too.
{OR}
The two laborers of the club each carried a small stack of dishes on their way to the kitchenette. Heading towards the white door, the girls passed the prep room where the twins were causing some kind of commotion with Kasanoda.
"No way," his protests could be heard from outside. "I don't wanna lug that thing around."
"Suck it up!"
"Just trust us on this one." The twins sounded like devils luring the man into some shady agreement, but Hanako ignored it, so Haruhi followed suit. The taller girl seemed a little bit stiffer that day. Her straight posture looked just a little bit straighter, and her mouth stayed set in a tight line now that she wasn't laughing good-naturedly at Mori's uncharacteristic distress.
They placed the dishes on a cart meant for the dish washers in the kitchen and started to move the leftover cake and pastries into boxes for Mitsukuni's consumption at a later time. Hana did the transfering, and Haruhi brought down the cart. When the brunette returned through the back door, she saw that Hanako had created a tower of white boxes. The girl wore a too serious look as she mechanically fulfilled the mundane task, and Haruhi laughed meekly.
"Hey, Hana-senpai," Haruhi commented as she started to work on the end of the day inventory, "you seem kind of upset. Is everything okay?"
Hanako paused and turned around so that she could face Haruhi. With the cake knife still in hand, the older girl shrugged and sighed. "I wouldn't say that I'm upset," she rolled her lower lip into her mouth thoughtfully, wondering how to best explain what she was feeling to Haruhi. "I'm concerned. You may have realized it by now, but the Host Club members all come from a certain background."
Yeah, Haruhi thought, filthy rich.
Hana took her flat look as confirmation and nodded. "Right. Well, as such, there are certain consequences to having so many significant members of society in one place like this. You might remember the incident last term that took place in the 2-A homeroom. There are some people who pose threats to our friends, Haruhi. They all have targets on their backs. It's my job to keep them safe from that."
She had never thought about that before, but Haruhi could see that it was all Hana ever thought about. They all seemed so carefree all the time that she forgot. This place was as much of an escape for them as it was for everyone else.
"I have nothing against him personally," Hanako continued, "and I know you might not understand. It may be prejudice, too, but there are families, like Kasanoda's, that constantly interfere with the elite. I'd rather be safe than sorry." It wasn't his fault that he was Yakuza, and she may have even been projecting underlying fears and concerns onto Kasanoda. After Pink Carnation Day, she wasn't going to take her chances. Not when it came to her friends. Not when there was a jade eyed monster lurking just outside their kingdom.
Hana seemed strung out, moreso than usual. Haruhi wanted to ask her to explain the odd prejudice against Kasanoda, but before she could, Kaoru's voice sounded from the room over. "Hey, Hana, Haruhi, come check out the new and improved Ritsu Bossa Nova!"
The girls left the kitchen and joined them in the dressing room. Hikaru and Kaoru stood off to the side, arms around each others' shoulders and self-satisfied grins on their faces. Their final product wasn't something to brag about. They styled Kasanoda's hair in twists, wrapped an awfully tacky scarf around his neck, threw a pair of too-streamlined shades on his face, stuck a pink bandaid on his cheek, and tucked Tamaki's teddy under his arm. Hanako snorted indelicately, and Kasanoda rounded on the brothers.
"I look stupid!" he roared, turning bright pink in the face. Caramel eyes narrowed, all traces of amusement gone in an instant.
Hanako immediately put herself between the frenzied bull and the brothers, who ducked behind her fearfully. "I assure you the clothes have nothing to do with it," she stated breezily. She regarded him haughtily, and he narrowed his eyes on her, surprised that she wasn't backing down. Just the opposite, she bristled and stood completely resolute.
"Who the hell are you, anyway?" he demanded.
"I'm the only person here with enough sense to keep an eye on you," she answered with a frigidity that could have brought winter on right there in November.
"Hey, Hana-senpai, you're being a bit harsh," Haruhi tried to placate the other girl. She was so wound up lately, and Haruhi had no idea what had caused the change in their easy-going clubmate.
Kasanoda's beady eyes widened in realization, and he gasped sharply before declaring, "You're Morinozuka-senpai's ex-fiancee!" He dropped to his knees suddenly, oblivious to the uncomfortable look that the twins shared. "I always heard rumors 'bout your relationship, and I could never figure out how a scary lookin' guy like Morinozuka could get a beautiful girl like you. Nobody knows anythin' 'bout it, so, please, senpai… why did you break up with Morinozuka-senpai?"
A flicker of emotion passed Hanako's face before it settled into indifference, and Haruhi looked from the taller girl to the twins. Hikaru and Kaoru fidgeted in place uncomfortably. They all stayed away from that particular line of questioning, as if it was taboo. Haruhi had learned not to ask about it, but somehow, she got the feeling that it wasn't as resolved as Hana made it out to be.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Takashi's the one who ended our engagement, perhaps you should ask him," she flashed a tight-lipped smile. "If you'll excuse me."
Hanako turned and left the dressing room, and Kasanoda looked up in confusion. "Huh?" he got back to his feet, and the Hitachiins thumped him on his back.
"Way to go, Bossa Nova," Hikaru drawled.
"Now you've done it," Kaoru added.
{OR}
Rumors flew around the Ouran mill the next day, and Hanako caught all the whispers about Morinozuka's impressive display in the courtyard that saved Kasanoda. The general tone encompassed concern and admiration, but Hanako took most interest in the company present when it happened. When the Host Club convened later that day, she was surprised when Kasanoda met them at the door, pacing impatiently as he waited for them to arrive. As soon as he saw them, he gave them an almost formal report.
"Huh? Somebody's out to get Mori-senpai?" Tamaki repeated dubiously.
"No doubt about it," the red haired boy confirmed. "I saw everything. He's obviously gotten on somebody's bad side."
They were in the same section as the day before, and Hanako stood behind the sofa as Kyoya transcribed Kasanoda's account onto paper.
"Nah, that's impossible," Hikaru dismissed immediately.
"There's no way Mori-senpai would ever be on anyone's bad side," Kaoru agreed. Although, his gaze slipped discreetly to the glasses wearing host. Nah, not even Kyoya would go that far.
"How can you be so sure?" Kasanoda challenged. "You don't know that!"
"If there was a threat to anyone here," Hanako spoke up with an air of confidence about her. "I would know about it." Kasanoda looked to her in surprise, and all of the hosts seated on the sofa nodded.
"Don't you worry your pretty, little head about that. Even if there was an issue, Hanako would have it all under control." Tamaki motioned to the girl standing behind them before pulling out the drawing board they kept on hand. "Operation Bossa Nova's Total Image Make-Over is in full effect as of right now!"
"They'll be wanting snacks, too. Kyoya," Hanako said to her employer, "check his files, please." The vice-president of the club flipped through their clipboard to the file Hanako referred to without her needing to name it. While he did that, she moved to the kitchen where she intended to fix a plate for Tamaki and his loyal followers. She busied herself at the counter, and she wasn't surprised when the door sounded a moment later.
Takashi joined her in the small kitchen with an empty plate from Mitsukuni's completely devoured slice of cake. It wasn't a particularly crowded space, but he dwarfed just about everything around them. He brought the plate to the sink and set it on the counter wordlessly, lingering beside her. They were close enough that she could smell his cologne but not close enough to touch.
"Care to tell me what's really going on?" she asked him plainly. She could have been making small talk with how passively she asked, and he found himself longing for the days when he could feel her laughter reverberating against his chest as she leaned against him in the gardens.
"Nobody's after me," he assured her, keeping all traces of emotion out of his voice.
"I already knew that." Hanako stopped plating the snacks and gave him her full attention. She wasn't asking as a member of the security team, and she wasn't asking as his ex-fiancee. It was only because he was her friend that she said anything at all. She already had an idea of what was happening, anyway, but she still valued his input as a peer. Morinozukas and Negidas always worked well together as colleagues, and Takashi wasn't an idiot. He was just as perceptive as she or Mitsukuni was.
Takashi sighed heavily, "I really do want to help this guy out." That was so like him. He had a fondness for strays.
She shook her head, knowing him too well. She wasn't surprised when he didn't turn Kasanoda away. "You're too soft-hearted."
He lifted his eyes to hers, searching for something in her gaze. "Would you rather I be colder?" he asked, steadying his voice so that she wouldn't know how badly he wanted an answer. The feeling he had in the Ootori villa flooded him again, and he squeezed the marble countertop to stop his rebellious fingertips from reaching for her cheek.
She looked away from him carelessly, as if it didn't matter what she thought of him. "I didn't say that. All I'm saying is that spending this much time with a yakuza heir doesn't bode well for us.",
He knew exactly what was worrying her. That interaction with the green eyed man at the end of Pink Carnation day was plaguing him too. Still, he couldn't stand to see her so suspicious. This - the constant anxiety, the readiness to fight - wasn't healthy. "Hana," he braved a step closer to her, and she didn't back away. He breathed in her chrysanthemum perfume. His heart slammed against his ribcage over and over again. "He's different."
She looked at him briefly and stepped around him, unaffected by their exchange and taking the handle of the snack cart. "We'll see," she said before pushing the cart out of the door and leaving him alone in the kitchenette. Hana wheeled the cart over to the club clowns, leaving it with them. Then, she joined Kyoya and Haruhi on the sofa.
"Obviously, there isn't anyone out to get Takashi," she stated, leaning towards Kyoya to read the open file that he was making notes upon.
"Is that what the two of you were just discussing?" Kyoya asked pointedly, surprising Haruhi by how sharp his tone sounded. She had never heard him direct any kind of hostility towards Hana, and if she didn't know any better, she would have said he sounded jealous. Haruhi looked around him to her other senior, who either didn't notice or didn't care.
"We shouldn't let this guy hang around so much," Hana tried to reason with him. "It's only a matter of time before something like this morning happens again."
"It doesn't seem like you to turn away someone who's in need of better security, senpai," Haruhi commented in surprise. A furrow formed between Hanako's brows as she considered what her friend said.
"Either way, Tamaki is king, and he genuinely believes that Kasanoda isn't a bad guy," Kyoya reminded her. Tamaki had been wrong before, but she didn't care to voice that when they all seemed to be in agreement this time. She decided to let it go, at least for the time being.
Admittedly, Hana didn't get a bad feeling from Kasanoda, and she recognized the effort that he put into improving his image. If anything, whatever trouble he brought with him wasn't anything he willingly took part in. It was as much of an occupational hazard for him as most things were to the Host Club. Hanako got dragged up to the rough drawing that the boys put on the board, but she wasn't as interested in any of it as the rest of them. She cast a look back at Haruhi and Kasanoda, and she caught the light blush smattered across his cheeks as Haruhi easily interacted with him.
Maybe they're right, she thought to herself as she watched the first years. She had a habit of overthinking, and maybe that's what she was doing. Daichi got in her head, and it could have been a bluff for all she knew. Maybe she was overreacting, and it was all unfair to Kasanoda.
"Bossa Nova," Tamaki called, and the yakuza heir squeaked in response. "I think we've finally come up with something that'll change your tough guy image."
They put the cat ears that Hana wore for Halloween on top of his head, and somehow, they were surprised by the outcome. "A cat monster," Mitsukuni deadpanned.
"Well that didn't work," Tamaki murmured in their huddle. "I don't know what went wrong. Renge said the kitty ears were all the rage! They looked fine on Hana during Halloween. She said that they were a perfect lovely item. What could've happened?"
Kyoya looked up from his notes briefly, "Be realistic. Putting kitty ears on him isn't going to affect how people perceive him. He still looks mean."
Hanako didn't want to tell them that she thought they were fighting a losing battle. It didn't matter what he looked like. Their peers didn't care about looks as much as they wanted to believe. They cared about status and wealth. The masses would find anything they could to talk about, no matter who or what it was. If it wasn't her, it would be him, and if it wasn't him, it would be some other kid struggling to fit in.
The twins unfurled a full maid costume and spun around. "You might as well go all the way and make him a kitty-eared maid."
"Are you guys makin' fun of me?" Kasanoda growled before they jumped on him again and wrestled him into the costume.
"Making," Hanako corrected him in a bored voice, "not makin'. You're at Ouran Academy, Kasanoda, speak like it." She looked up when the rose colored door opened. The boy who stepped through was dressed for the dropping temperatures of late-autumn. He wore his brown hair in a high ponytail with more volume and wave to it than Hanako's and looked inside with some uncertainty.
"Sorry to bother you but is the Young Lord Kasanoda in here?" he asked politely. His face fell and he yelped. "Aah! There you are."
The kitty-eared maid rushed forward and roared in the boy's face. "Manners, please," Hana called from behind him.
"No big deal. You can do whatever you want in your spare time."
"What? Do you think this is a hobby of mine?" Kasanoda demanded. "Damn, I can't take this anymore!" Kasanoda tore off the skirt and rook off, kitty ears falling onto the floor behind him. Haruhi stepped forward and picked up the accessories.
"Maybe an image change isn't really what Casanova needs," Haruhi said thoughtfully.
"Kasanoda," Hanako corrected but nodded in agreement.
"I think you're right," Mitsukuni joined Haruhi where Kasanoda took off. "I sure hope he realizes it soon."
Hana sighed and broke rank, stepping towards the doors a few paces in front of them with her hands tucked in her pockets, "Come on, everyone. We better go find him before he gets into trouble."
{OR}
They split up into groups to search for him. Takashi and Mitsukuni went off together, the twins went with Tamaki, and the girls were with Kyoya. Hanako and her companions followed the courtyard path to the gardens. Along the way, they passed a group of students who were seated together. She recognized them as members of the 1-B class and the 2-C class.
"Kasanoda's so scary," one of the boys was saying. "He looked worse than usual just now."
"Man, I thought winter just came early."
"He's so ugly," one of the girls laughed. "I pity the girl who ends up marrying that guy."
Haruhi looked at them in surprise, and she wondered how they could say such mean things so openly. What surprised her more was the fact that Hanako stepped up to them, arms crossed over her stomach, and said, "Stop that. Don't you know it's rude to talk about someone behind their back?"
The girl hadn't raised her voice to them, but she challenged them with such an air of superiority, that Haruhi was surprised they didn't crumble to dust out of shame right there and then.
"Negida," one of the girls squeaked, "we were just…"
"I wasn't finished," Hanako spoke over her relentlessly. "You're students at Ouran Academy, act like it. Kasanoda may not have any choice in how he looks, but all of you have the agency over how you conduct yourselves. Shame on you. Now, which way did he go?"
The group of them looked at each other, reprimanded and ashamed, and one of the boys mentioned that they saw him heading towards the rose hedges. Hanako thanked them in a cold voice and turned in that direction. Haruhi and Kyoya followed, and the younger girl looked to him, looking for some cue that what just happened was abnormal. There was none.
"I thought you didn't like Casanova," Haruhi said to Hana in mild confusion.
"I don't have a real opinion of him as a person," the girl admitted freely. "Nonetheless, it's not right for people to talk about him as if he isn't there or can't hear them. I have my concerns about the company he keeps, but I don't wish any harm upon him nor do I tolerate bullying. You were right, Haruhi. I was being too harsh."
It was the first time that Haruhi heard Hana admit that she was wrong. She knew that Hana had strong convictions, and Haruhi rarely saw her yield her position. Although, maybe it wasn't an issue of yielding. It felt like forever since the day that Haruhi's bag was thrown into the pond, but she remembered how meaningfully Hanako asked about her. Maybe it wasn't about giving up on her convictions. Maybe it was just about which one mattered more in the given moment, and Haruhi knew that Hana cared too much to let anyone go through what she did.
"I'm gonna look for Casanova in the maze," Haruhi said, pointing towards the maze in the distance.
"We'll keep looking in the area, too," Hana told her before the girl took off towards the tall hedges.
Hana and Kyoya continued on the path when they were alone. Kyoya kept his nose stuck in the padfolio, working ceaselessly on whatever it was he devoted the day to while she rolled her shoulders in anticipation. It was only a matter of time before they needed to act. Maybe she had more in common with Kasanoda than she initially thought. A lamb separated from the herd. Tachibana's words came into her mind at that. It was an opportune moment to strike. Therefore, it was the perfect time for a counterattack.
The maze actually led to another courtyard in that quadrant of the school grounds, and the path that they were on would bring them directly to the pond without having to go solve the puzzle. It also allowed them the quickest route to where she suspected they would find Kasanoda. More importantly, they had the clearest view of the scene and the two figures peeking over the hedges with a metal can in hand. Hana's muscles coiled. She dashed forward. The can flew. She saw blond in her peripheral. She changed course.
"Look out!"
Hana leapt into the air and launched herself over the hedges. Her shoes landed quietly on the soft grass. The girl straightened and turned her hardened gaze on the two who had been causing trouble for Kasanoda. Her attention shifted past them to the dark storm approaching, and when she smiled, they turned around.
"You wanna fight?" the long haired student's bravado did him no good. The distraction allowed Hanako to easily apprehend him, twisting his arm back by the wrist and caught his other hand.
"Let go of me, you bitch!" he griped as she pushed him forward.
"Damn it! You big behemoth!" the boy in Takashi's headlock shouted in protest.
"Do none of you have manners?" Hanako demanded in exasperation as she forced the taller boy to his knees at her feet. Beside her, Takashi's prisoner struggled against his iron grip.
"You're playin' dirty, Kasanoda!" her captive complained, as if sneak attacks were fair. "First you go and kidnap our gang boss's kid, and then you make us deal with your musclebound lackies? We know you kidnapped the kid. Just give him back, now!"
The volume at which he spoke caused a ringing in Hana's ears, and a vein on her forehead pulsated in annoyance. "You're so loud," she hissed, shaking him slightly.
"We've heard enough outta you! We'll shut you up!" the twins declared, and Hana had no problem stepping aside for the mumbling brothers as they took the trouble off her hands. The security guard nodded in approval at Hikaru and Kaoru's technique. She thought they hadn't paid attention to her father's lessons on how to secure detainees.
"Tighter," Hana advised them before they made the final knots. A final thumbs up, and she and Takashi joined Mitsukuni's side.
"See, Takashi wasn't on anyone's bad side These guys were after you. Until we caught them, we decided not to say anything to you, because we didn't want you to have to mess with them."
Kasanoda's jaw slackened, and his eyes widened in disbelief. Hana thought that he appeared surprisingly child-like with that expression. He looked from Mitsukuni to Hanako to Takashi and stepped down the stone stairs.
"I can't believe it. So, you helped me?" He stopped in front of them with confusion pulling his brows downward. "But how come?"
Takashi dropped his palm on the shorter boy's head. It was a familiar and supportive gesture, one that meant to tell Kasanoda that he was one of them, now. "We can tell who the bad guys are by looking at them."
Kasanoda looked to Hanako skeptically. She wasn't the most welcoming person he came across, but she stepped in to help him, too. The hardness in her face melted away. "You're not bad for a yakuza son." A breath of relief left him, and his shoulders sagged.
"You dumbasses!" another voice hollered behind them. Hana and the third years turned around to see what was going on with the ruffians.
"Sonny!"
"Shut up! You've said enough today. Don't you get it? The reason I left was 'cause I was sick of hangin' out with the likes of you. Now get lost, ya hear me?" The worms wriggled away on command.
"Tetsuya, what's goin' on?" Kasanoda approached the boy who came looking for him.
"I'm sorry I've kept this from you, sir. I'm Tetsuya Sendo. I am the son of the godfather of the Sendo Syndicate. But I've always been opposed to the cutthroat way the Syndicate goes about handling its business."
Hanako listened to Tetsuya's soft voice as he recounted his first meeting with Kasanoda. Mocking jade eyes came into her mind's eye, and she wondered how these two boys could be cut from the same cloth as that snake? She misjudged Kasanoda terribly. Maybe she was going about this all wrong.
"You're more kind-hearted than most people, and it's not just me. Everybody in the whole syndicate knows it. They just don't say anything 'cause it would embarrass you."
Hanako was touched by the concern Tetsuya had for him. It seemed that he was more like Takashi than she initially thought. She was too much in her own head. She primed herself for warning signs and, because of that, missed all the good ones. There was never a moment when she sensed any hurtful intent from him. The hair on her neck never stood on end. There was no cause for worry. She psyched herself out. Hana sighed softly, and Mitsukuni looked up at her with watchful mocha colored orbs.
"Don't you usually tell me when I'm overthinking?"
Mitsukuni just smiled, knowing what she realized. "Yeah, but I know you want to work on it." Hana smiled back at him and turned her attention to the considerate boy in front of them.
"I should apologize to Fujioka," he was saying. "After all, it is my fault he got paint on him."
"Haru-chan went back to the club room to change clothes," Mitsukuni supplied.
"Yeah? Oh, thanks a lot. I'll be right back." Kasanoda ran towards the school in high spirits as Tetsuya called after him. It was as good of an ending any of them could have asked for. Hana turned her attention to the rest of her clubmates and crossed the space to Kyoya. He had spent so much of the day with his back turned to them, busying himself with that clipboard. She finally had a clear enough head to call him out on it.
"We did a good thing guys!"
"What're you talking about? You didn't do anything, boss."
Kyoya didn't shift away when he felt Hana's open jacket brush against his back. The Shadow King didn't acknowledge her leaning around his arm to read his notes. He ignored the fact that if he glanced down, he could see her profile perfectly. "Don't any of you care that Kasanoda went to see Haruhi who is changing clothes?"
A strangled gurgle sounded from Tamaki, and Hanako straightened behind Kyoya. A strange look came onto Kyoya's face, and Kaoru blinked in surprise. The younger twin looked between the other club members, wondering if the others caught it, too, and when he looked back at Kyoya, it was gone.
"H-" the rest of the word got swallowed down Kaoru's throat as Tamaki grabbed him and Hikaru by the arms and raced back to the club room. Hanako and Kyoya were left with a cloud of dust in their faces.
"When did this club get so energetic?" he asked, using the clipboard to disperse the particles in the air.
"I kind of like it." Her carefree, agreeable answer was almost enough to make Kyoya forget the way Morinozuka trailed after her through the kitchenette's swinging door earlier that afternoon.
{OR}
A/N... Hi everyone! Thanks for reading! The site has been glitching, and my last chapter has been intermittently available. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, but the best that I can recommend is that you be patient and keep checking for the new chapter to stick. If you open it and want to read it, don't close the page until you're done reading. I hope this update doesn't break the page. I really hope that you can see this chapter.
Thank you for your patience! Also, thank you for your support. It's been such a long week. Special thanks to purplekittycatofthemoon, valiantgirl3, Springcrazy, and kaigirl16 for your reviews on the last two chapters! Also, special thanks to TwixXedlife, KitCathy, and Springcrazy for chatting with me in PMs! You guys were super helpful with figuring out what was going on with the site, and I appreciate the support.
I'm slowly working on the last four chapters that I need to write to finish this story. It might be a bit of a wait because I'm working through a funk. Thank you for your patience! Please let me know if this chapter shows up!
Who do you think is better for Hana at this point in the story? Kyoya or Takashi?
Next time: A New Direction... Hanako watches her clubmates watch Kasanoda confess