Hello! I am very excited for this story, I don't think I've ever written a chapter so fast. Anyways please sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!
"A dance?"
This was for… teacup girl, if Ren remembered correctly.
"Yup! It's going to be put on by the Ouran Host Club! We've made sure there will be no roses in the club room going forward, or at the dance!" They smiled cheekily, trading obvious glances with the other.
"Okay, but why…? Isn't that a signature thing of yours or something?"
"Because we don't want a repeat of what happened last time." Their tones were uncharacteristically serious, before brightening up again. "Plus, it means you don't have any excuse to not go!"
"Yeah, no. Not happening. Do you know how uncomfortable and pocketless rich people dresses are?"
"But Ren~!" They whined, pouting. "We've already rented the school's largest hall, and it's perfect for dancing! Plus there's going to be all the food you could ever want, with a stunning live orchestra too!"
Well shit. Hikaru and Kaoru were her friends now, plus saying no again would be like kicking two puppies, especially with the faces they were making…
"...I hate you guys."
"Is that a yes?"
"It's the closest y'all will get. Happy?"
"Great! You can't back out now either, cause we already confirmed it with your father!"
"A dance for my Ren? Sounds wonderful, she'll definitely be there!"
"That… does sound like him." She sighed, wondering how her life had gotten this chaotic. Ren hadn't even done much! Just, you know, pissed off Kyoya Ootori on the first day, got the attention of the Hitachiins somehow, and had a severe allergic reaction in the club room.
"Oh, and don't worry about how you dress. We'll take care of that!"
She honestly had forgotten about it after that. Could you really blame her though? It was a whole week away, and she'd slept since then!
So when Hikaru and Kaoru casually reminded her it was tonight, Ren was surprised, to say in the least. "Right, we'll need you to do us a favor. See, there's this guy we need to help, cause his love life is in shambles…"
Oh shit, were they making her take Haruhi's place? "Hell no."
"You don't really have a choice, Mrs. Kamiya. I did call my own doctor for you, so now you're in my debt." Ren winced, before cursing softly under her breath. Of course he was here.
"Don't you have someone else who can do this?" She replied weakly, already knowing resisting was probably futile. It didn't stop her from trying though.
"We do, but they have been working off their debt already. You have not."
"Fine… what exactly do I have to do?" Am I even going to get to enjoy the party at all?
"It's simple. You will be confessing your love and getting rejected." Wow, that was… Blunt.
"Uhh, why?"
"Because~," There they go again, invading her personal space. "This guy needs our help! He's utterly hopeless, and needs the shock of a confession to him so he can finally be with his one true love!"
"Kaoru, that sounded so romantic~"
"Oh Hikaru, I was just thinking of my feelings for you~"
"Gross."
They stuck their tongues out at her. "Eh, you're just a party pooper."
"Anyways," Kyoya cut in, "The plan is that when Princess Kasuga sees you two together, he'll chase after her and realize they still love one another."
"That seems like it could go downhill very quickly… Also it's not something I would uh, expect from you. Idea wise."
"It was thought up by our club president."
"Yeah, he's a sucker for love stories." The twins agreed, shrugging.
"So basically, it'll be a miracle if this goes well?"
"Yup!"
"Great..."
Now here she was, the night of the party, stuck in the changing room. "Do I really have to wear this? It's so… pink. And the neckline in the back is so low… Is there anything else I can use instead?"
"Unfortunately for you, that's all we have on hand. Now hurry up, Princess Kasuga is dancing with Haruhi, and we need to make sure you're good to go so she doesn't leave before we're done."
Ren sucked it up, and got ready.
"I'm stealing one of your jackets at least, it's cold and this is a spaghetti strap..." She muttered, stepping out for make up.
"Cute…"
"Did you say something?" She blinked curiously, studying Hikaru.
"No-nothing! Just that we're gonna start putting makeup on you now…"
Kaoru paused for a moment, giving his brother a strange look, before starting to pick the perfect shade of lipstick. "Uh, we know this is the boss's strategy but it's kinda unsettling."
"It is a bit surprising you know how to walk in heels."
She shrugged. "It was part of the stuff I had to learn to become an heir. Dancing was part of that too, though I guess it doesn't matter since I won't get to tonight…"
"You never know, you might just get swept off your feet by Suzushima~" Hikaru and Kaoru teased, laughing at the glare she shot in their direction.
"Yeah right, I'm not gonna hold my breath. Plus isn't the plan for him to reject me?"
"Yep, but you gotta show him you mean your feelings!" Honey piped up cheerfully, hugging his plushie so tightly that Ren could've sworn she saw the pain in the poor stuffed animal's eyes.
"Okay." She mock saluted, then turned to the only club member there who hadn't said anything yet.
"Mind if I borrow your suit jacket for this?" She gestured to her shoulders. "I'm not really comfortable with how much this shows, and it probably won't be for too long."
Mori merely nodded, and handed it over.
"Thanks!"
"Suzushima is already waiting for you in the classroom across the hall." Kyoya reminded, checking the time.
"Alright, I'll get going." Ren stood up, giving herself a onceover in the mirror nearby then beginning to leave.
"Good luck Ren~!"
"You're the one who wrote this letter? You're totally different from what I imagined..."
Right, that stupid letter… "Y-Yeah! It's just easier for me to show my feelings when writing them out, you know? I'm sorry if it was too forward..." It's to get rid of the debt, so just get through this, she chanted to herself.
"I'm sorry. I'm flattered by your letter, but I'm afraid I don't feel the same way. You see, another girl already has my heart." Toru Suzushima apologized, handing the letter over and looking to the side as if anticipating a bad reaction.
"Oh, well, I'd rather see you be happy. And if that's not with me, then, that sucks but I'll manage. If she's the one who brightens up your day, who am I to try to get between that?"
He smiled somewhat bitterly. "Thank you for understanding, but she's not in a relationship with me. In fact, she's probably completely over me. In all honesty, she'd be happier with someone more self confident than me… That's why I decided I need to change. I want to see the world, and hopefully become someone she wouldn't be embarrassed to be with."
"I know it's selfish, but I wonder if she'll wait for me."
"We can't stop being selfish, it's part of what makes us who we are as people. Have you talked to her about this? Because who knows, maybe you're wrong. Maybe she's just trying to get your attention. You'll never know if you don't sit down and have a true conversation about it with her, because maybe she wouldn't mind waiting for you."
Ren heard the door open, and a gasp from Suzushima confirmed it.
"Kanako…"
Ren winced. Watching her on a screen was so much easier than actually seeing her in person, breaking down. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you two, I just…" The tears fell and Kanako dashed down the hall, with Suzushima not far behind.
It was then that a certain blond walked into her line of sight, as she watched the two go.
"You're… Tamaki, right? I'm Ren, I don't think we've formally met." She bowed politely, while Mori's jacket draped over her.
"That is correct. Thank you for helping us with this, it's something important to me. It's my responsibility as a member of the host club to make every girl happy."
"It does kinda feel like we made matters worse though, she seemed heartbroken…"
"But he did go running after her. That counts for something."
"Ladies and gentlemen. It is now time for us to begin the final dance of this evening's festivities. The last waltz of the night has been chosen by the host club for this couple."
Ren had to admit, the falling cherry blossoms were definitely a nice touch. Though she couldn't help but laugh after seeing the twins just eating bananas when there was such a full and luxurious buffet not too far away.
"And now we'll announce the queen of the ball!" Hikaru started, holding a banana peel.
"Congratulations Princess Kanako Kasugazaki!" Kaoru finished, also holding a banana peel.
"For her reward, a kiss on the cheek from the King!"
"Haruhi Fujioka will stand in for Tamaki!"
Ren was close enough to see the twins shrug while saying to Tamaki, "Kyoya did say that a little accident towards the end of the night might make the evening more thrilling for everyone!"
It was still amusing seeing how Honey's innocent remark of, "You don't think this is Haru-chan's first kiss, do you?" Was more than enough to rile Tamaki up to try stopping it, but the banana peels Hikaru and Kaoru had played an important role.
But damn, poor Haruhi. Losing your first kiss in front of a crowd had to be at least somewhat awkward. She didn't seem to mind, so hopefully it would be alright. After returning Mori's jacket, Ren decided to hang out a little bit longer while everyone was leaving
"So, first Ouran dance, what'd ya think?" Hikaru and Kaoru joined her on the balcony, leaning against the railing.
"I wouldn't really know, I didn't exactly get the chance to dance all evening."
"Then," They pulled her away from the banister. "May we have this dance?"
"I guess? Not really sure how it'd work with three people though."
"One at a time. Hikaru, you go first!" Kaoru said cheerfully, grinning at his brother's shocked sputtering. "Really, I don't know what you expected! I mean, dancing isn't a three person activity, obviously."
"You-!" After some hushed arguing, Hikaru gave in. "Fine. Is that okay with you, Ren?"
"Sure."
Kaoru waved then went back inside, saying he was going to see the rest of the guests off.
"Are you alright with the waltz? It's the only one I remember." Ren admitted.
"The waltz works for me."
It took a bit for them to fall into a step that worked with them, but when they did it was fluid, even without music playing. "If it's alright to ask, when did you become an heir? I remember hearing that the Kamiya's were struggling because there was no next in line, and then suddenly you appeared."
"I was adopted into the family. My father doesn't have a romantic interest in anybody, so he got me. The lessons sucked, but if that was the only price to pay to have a loving family, then it was definitely worth it." She laughed awkwardly, "I just realized that doesn't actually answer your question. I was seven."
"So it's been less than ten years, right?"
"Yup. Why'd you want to know?"
"You're interesting, that's all. I'm curious about your backstory!"
"Nah, not high enough level to unlock that. Maybe later though."
"That's alright, I can wait."
Kaoru knocked on Ren's head, surprising her. "I'm sorry to cut in, but we're about to leave Hikaru. I guess you owe me a dance later Ren!"
"Oh, alright. Bye y'all!"
"See ya later~!"
This is the longest chapter I've written, at almost 2000 words. I hope you liked it, please let me know!
~ TheAngelicPyro