Shards
The physical examination had been mostly easy.
Mostly.
Sort of.
She had gone to a more private space where the other students couldn't see, but she had still been interrupted while undressing. The others had come and surely would've done a number on the man, had it not been for his explanation of his situation. An interesting sight it was, a shaken looking man kneeling on the ground, facing the six of them. Haruhi was on the side his back was toward, positioned so the hosts could easily see if the guy attempted to move closer to her.
Their eyes had not been cold like she would've expected.
Haruhi had expected more disgust than anything, perhaps a bit of annoyance that this dirty commoner would dare to attempt anything untoward at one of their fellow hosts, despite her not being rich like all of them. She expected Kyoya to scoff and tell her how she'd wasted their time. She was waiting for Tamaki to fuss over how his daughter had fallen prey to some ruffian. Perhaps Kaoru and Hikaru would each take one of her arms and joke about how she was a difficult toy to maintain.
What she had not expected was wrath. It varied among them obviously, but there was a common factor of rage in each of their gazes as they fixed upon the down on his luck doctor. She hadn't ever imagined the twins to have their fists clenched, each of them seemingly wound tight enough to explode at the man any moment. It surely never crossed her mind that Hunny, who she was aware was not as childish as he seemed (yet still...), to have an unshakable glare locked with the presumed pervert. Surely, if anyone attempted to walk within that line of sight, a wall would block them.
Or how Tamaki's lips twitched as if he were suppressing the urge to growl or spit. Haruhi thought of how the blondness of his hair framed the fury that was his face. In fact, his hair was reaching on yellow. Optimism, sunshine, hope, happiness, and creativity. Still... Egoism. Madness. Caution. She put little stock in assigned meanings and physical appearance, but in this instance, the yellow was far too apparent. The president of the host club was the white rose, something she was well aware of, but in a moment, he seemed to resemble the tansy far more.
Kyoya tended to look more apathetic than anything. Cold, holier than thou, all of it tied into his 'cool host' persona. He is the most predictable of the boys today. Still, his glasses did not glare. With a clear view to his eyes, it was far easier to read him. He was indeed looking down at the man, his distaste clear. Within his eyes, however, rested an approaching storm. She shuddered to think of the poor souls who fail to escape to their homes before then.
Most unexpected of all was easily Mori. It wasn't as if he was suddenly as expressive as Tamaki, Haruhi simply hadn't expected any reaction at all. It was hardly anything at all, his eyes barely even shed their usual apathy. Still, she swore that the slightest of narrowing they sported was enough within and of itself to have the man before her quaking, all the other hosts be damned.
She couldn't imagine what the outcome would've been, had the doctor not immediately started explaining his reasons for being there in great detail. Or perhaps she simply did not. After all, a number of scenarios could have occured. On one end of the spectrum, Kyoya could have instructed the twins to drag him off to the front of the school, where he would've been thoroughly threatened before kicked to the curb. Though, realistically, she knew that would never fly. More likely would be that someone would have their work cut out for them prying two angry red heads off of him while Kyoya smoothed the entire event over. In a show of pragmatism, she decided it was irrelevant, and she needn't spend time thinking of it. It was probably best if she never knew at all.
Besides from that scare, physical examinations were easy. At the very least, as easy as things involving the Host club ever were.
Hikaru had been passing notes to her to try and get her to respond when the bell rang.
The students of class 1-A stood to collect their things, but the teacher called out.
"Fujioka, please have a word with me after class."
Haruhi looked up from her bag and blinked
"Yes sir"
"What's that about Haruhi?" Hikaru asked
She shrugged "No idea. I'll see you at club I guess."
When the others had all left, the brunette stood patiently in front of her teacher's desk.
"Thanks to a concerned faculty member, it has come to my attention that you have not had the swim lessons which were part of the program in Primary school here."
'Well that's a somewhat ridiculous thing to notice... way to specific. Sure Kyoya-senpai pointed it out, but he's... well, he's him.'
"I have taken the time to arrange for a simple swim test, it's the same as what you would've gotten had you been educated at Ouran as a child. Unless you don't know how to swim? In which case you'll have to take the lessons."
He leafed through papers as he spoke, never once looking up to her as he spoke.
"I can swim just fine sir, I just don't see-"
Haruhi found it positively grating.
"Good. Well, I suppose there shouldn't be a problem then. I took your... after school activity, and had it take place in the space between when your club begins and school ends. Since you aren't learning, we won't bother closing the pool. So don't be surprised if there are a few other students."
"Sir, is this really necessary."
"Of course it's necessary, what if you drown someday?"
She could have laughed.
Instead, she thanked him and left.
Haruhi let out a sigh of relief when Kyoya informed them all that it was time to bid farewell to the guests.
"It was really nice talking to you Miss Hagiwara!" After having hosted her twice, the girl had admitted to Haruhi that she found the princess title to be somewhat embarrassing.
"You as well. I do hope you get over whatever has had you so fidgety today." She smiled and left
The next thing Haruhi knew, two voices were close behind her.
"She's right you know,"
"Something's up. This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with-"
"-What happened after class?"
Gosh, that was a pain to follow.
"Apparently someone pointed out that silly swimming class which senpai mentioned."
Next, the room exploded.
Haruhi ignored them.
'How am I going to get out of this one? I don't really mind all that much if everyone knows I'm a mermaid, but... Well, if I've got 5,333,332 yen left to pay off...'
"I guess I'll just need another way to pay it all off."
She hardly noticed how the twins fussed at Tamaki over something silly, as all she heard was a mention of some subject.
'Let's see, how long would that take to pay once I get out of school and can get a job?'
Tamaki interrupted her calculations of how much and how often she would need to arrange payments.
"Are you saying you hate this club! That you hate being a host?!"
"Hm? Yeah, I guess I'd have to say yes."
He crawled his wounded form to a corner where he could sulk.*
"It's not that you guys are bad exactly, I just can't really do anything if it gets out I'm a girl, can I?" She rubbed her neck with a smile and a half shrug.
The hosts murmured to each other of her apathy while attempting to motivate her.
'How often can I work while in college?'
"Fancy tuna." A deep voice from behind her said.
'...shit, he's right!'
"Oh, yes. You didn't get the chance to try any at our party, did you Haruhi?"
'Senpai sure talks a lot of smack considering he's the one looking like he was told to wear a dunce cap.'
Soon enough, the other hosts whispers followed.
"Have you heard? She's never had any fancy tuna before!"
"Really? What a difficult childhood..." Hikaru and kaoru smiled against the words
Hunny spoke to Usa-chan, in what was clearly directed toward her.
"If only Haru-chan stayed in the host club, she'd have the chance to eat so many yummy things whenever she wants!"
"Just because I'm poor and never had it, doesn't mean I'm so much of a glutton I'd go on fooling everyone over my gender just so I could have some fancy tuna!" Haruhi laughed while her her smile stretched just a tad too wide to be genuine. She stopped trying to convince them (herself) like a switch had been turned. "...Promise I'll get to try it?"
The hosts cheered in their triumph.
He hears whispers of it before it happens.
He is not sure how the information was leaked so quickly, but he is glad. All the girls would be there, even the ones who didn't visit Fujioka. After all, surely the other hosts would go to support him?
Shame.
He would feel such shame that he'd never host again, and all of the girls would be back to thinking of him.
She hears their whispers before any of it happens.
"Haruhi-kun will be swimming! It's open too, so all of us will get to watch."
"Can you imagine it? Ohhh, I want a million pictures."
"I have been looking to buy a new camera..."
Manaka hears the other girls whispers before the event happens, and she makes up her mind on attending. In that crowd of an audience that is sure to accumulate, Haruhi would deserve a friend. Or, at least something close to it. Close enough that she won't only be there to see some sort of ridiculous display of prowess.
Still...
It is strange, and unlike the Haruhi she has grown to know. She seriously doubted this kind of thing was his idea, and wonders whether or not Ootori would have arranged it as some publicity stunt.
She hears their whispers before any of it happens.
A/N: Gah, writing is the only thing that can get me out of my funks, but getting enough energy to write while I'm in one is so hard.
I have news! This actually relates to the story too! I have decided that this most definitely will NOT be a Hunny x Haruhi story in the end, because I just don't think that that's the story I'm telling. Right now I'm leaning toward Kyoya or Mori, but I do have a soft spot for the twins. Of course, kasanoda hasn't even entered yet...
Another thing I'm too forgetful to know if I mentioned, this will not be a Tamaharu fan fiction.
Still, any of you who are only reading this in hopes for those ship are welcome to leave now, but it's not as if I have permanently sworn them off. Just not this story.
I have plans for this, I swear. I just feel like I hate putting all these setup chapters with the actual story, but I can't exactly skip them either. You know?
*The subtitles here actually say 'Scandalized gasp', and I thought you'd just like to know that.
Word count of 1,786 for the actual chapter.
-Lucas_Gilbert