Hello my fabulous dearies!
Soooo sorry this is a little late I kept getting side tracked with the next chapter; this is a little bit of a filler chapter but still moving forward. Thank you all so so much for the follows and reviews, I'm so happy! So many reviews and I haven't thanked most, but I'm going to go through and personally thank all of you. Well then my lovelies please enjoy this next instalment!
WARNING: NO KIDDIES ALLOWED! Sorry my little dears but this is rated M for a reason! Read at your own peril!
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host club characters or any of works done by Bisco Hatori! If I did we all know I would have made it much more of a love fest and ruined it for the public...maybe
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Chapter 7: Trials and Tribulations
A week before the new school year would start up again and he would once again return to his normal routine. It had been a quiet evening, one of the few where he could relax and read a book for a while, that is until his father had summoned him to his office. Since coming home from a business trip and all, usually he would have wait till the following morning if he had anything to say to him.
So there he sat in his father's office, patiently waiting while engrossed in his book still.
Moments later the door was opened by none other than his father, not bothering to greet his son he sat down behind his desk meeting eyes with Kyoya.
"Welcome back father, how was your trip?" Kyoya went ahead and began the opening of the conversation.
"Well enough, business has expanded raising our profits and establishing our complete dominance over the medical industry." he replied dully.
"After your return I am surprised to find you calling on me instead of retiring for the evening. The trip has not worn you out?" Behind the concerned question was the obvious lack of interest and asked more of courtesy.
"It has, which is why I will make this short and waste neither of our time most then necessary."
Sitting his book aside Kyoya gave his father his full attention, whatever he had to say had to of been worthy if his father deemed it 'necessary'.
"Kyoya, you're no longer a child and it's time I've stopped treating you as such."
When had he ever treated him like a child?
"From today on you will take part of the family business."
He already was though.
"You've proven that you stand on equal footing with your brothers, and qualify as heir apparent."
That much was obvious. Did he really not pay that much attention to his own son?
"You will be given a number of trials that you must meet with success. If you attain every single one of them within a years' time, then I will indeed name you the next head of the Ootori group"
That caught his attention. Surely it would not be as simple as that? Yoshio Ootori was anything but simple. Then an idea had struck him.
"I will not quit the Host Club if that is one of your requirements" stating plainly as if it was common sense, which in a way it was.
"An embarrassment to have a son prance around like a fool" Yoshio scoffed at him.
"But one I am willing to overlook, once all the members graduate from the University that club will ultimately come to the end of its life anyway."
That much might be true, they will all take on the duties of their families and the host club will be a fond memory they all would share. Their families might do business together but they were the future of their families and they would most likely always be in contact together, especially if Tamaki continued to have his way.
He shouldn't have cared, he didn't want to care, and yet it the back of his mind remained the barest hint of his old desire to surpass his brothers and claim head of the Ootori family.
The idea wasn't terrible, but over the recent years he decided if his father would dismiss his youngest son so easily then he would strike out on his own and surpass all of them, even if it meant eventually facing off against them.
This offer was as sudden as it was intimidating, so it appeared his father hadn't dismissed him as easily as he thought. The tasks set would be considered impossible, if it were anyone but him.
Throughout his youth his father never ceased to diminish any of his exploits, nothing had ever been good enough and he had come to accept this. But that in no way meant he would admit defeat, He would find victory whether it be by his father's way or his way.
"What are the trials you would have of me?"
"Don't you wish to know the consequences should you fail?" he gave Kyoya a curious look.
"I never fail."
Staring at his youngest son for a moment, he could recognize the confidence in his eyes, he nodded "very well then, listen closely boy…"
Thus the game began.
Present day
"Fifty-one points" He dowsed his tea with sugar cubes again.
"How the hell did you get that number this time!?" she stomped her foot angrily.
"Temper, temper Haruhi, and do watch your language. Did you not read the punishment section of the contract?" he really shouldn't have enjoyed taunting her as much as he was, but honestly she was begging for reprimanding.
She plopped down on the sofa after she had basically hovered over him till he had taken a sip of the tea she had prepared. She had read the contract thoroughly and she was angry at herself for not reading the fine print before signing. Damnit she should have known better, now he could basically conduct any punishment he wanted! Maybe he would make her kneel for hours on grains of rice. The very though made her shudder, no he wasn't that cruel…she hoped.
"Oh please Young Master, do tell me of your brilliance and how you managed to conjure up such a brilliantly brilliant result as to my un-brilliantly prepared tea" her sickly sweet voice dripping with sarcasm.
The smug jerk could stand to be taken down a notch.
But one glare from him made her quickly remember the kneeling on rice.
"Please" she hastily added in a lowered voice.
"Tea: excellent, Tea set: same as yesterday, snack: also the same as yesterday" he had continued to stare over the rim of his glasses at her while sipping his tea.
It was Sunday, this morning as well as yesterday morning she had arrived long before he had woken up, already at work on the documents. Yesterday he had been gone most the day with the occasional dropping in to check on her.
He was usually up all hours of the night so he took the liberty to sleep later than normal but he hadn't expected her there before he woke.
It had caught her well off her guard when she saw Kyoya looking as disarrayed as he did in a white t-shirt that still probably cost more than one of her cheap ones at home, and black long pajama pants.
So there they were; with him lounging about in his sleep wear and her slumping back on the couch ready to throw a tantrum.
"Which reminds me, if you are going to show up here early before I awaken, I expect to have my breakfast and coffee laid out for me in my room no later than nine thirty, if it is lunch then no later than two thirty."
"I'm supposed to cook your meals too?!" she glared at him in disbelief.
"Don't be ridiculous Haruhi, I eat only the finest cuisine, so unless you are one of the five star chefs we have on call, then you will simply go and fetch my meals from the main kitchen."
'What the hell is with these rich people and their damn expensive foods? Is the fruit made of pure gold as well!?'
"But you are expected to prepare my coffee and tea" he concluded sipping the rest of his tea.
"Ugh!" she grunted loudly as she dragged herself back to her seat on the floor, much to Kyoya's amusement. Settling back in her spot on the floor she continued her flying through the documents filing them accordingly.
All of her work had to be finished by tomorrow in the early morning, he was well prepared to finish where she left off when she would leave tonight. He wouldn't blame her for not being able to finish, and with such a short time to work it was nearly impossible from the beginning. He took in her dedication, she really was trying her hardest to finish.
They had hardly spoken to one another yesterday, he had meant to ask about the ball but work had kept them both busy. He couldn't help but notice since the previous morning that every so often he would rarely catch her looking away from her work at the floor, with a blush slowly creeping up on her cheeks. She would eventually catch herself and her mind from wandering, with a shake of her head she returned to the papers in her hands.
Well there was no time like the present to poke at her just bit.
"I didn't get the chance to ask you, did you enjoy yourself at the masquerade?" Kyoya smoothly asked.
Seeing the reddening of her face and now in a somewhat petrified state, she couldn't even manage to look him in the eyes, how amusing.
"I suppose…" he could faintly hear her answer.
"You danced with a certain someone for quite a while, it seemed as though you were pleased enough with your current partner."
"You saw that?"
"My dear Haruhi, everyone saw. I just happened to have a more advantageous view then most."
"You guys decided to throw me in a dress and yet none of you actually came to dance with me that night, what the hell- I mean what was with that?"
"They found themselves unavailable, more so then they originally thought they would be, it seems more young ladies had attended then we anticipated."
She kept looking downward at the floor playing with the corner of one of the papers.
"Well then? Did you enjoy the evening?" he hid behind a pretense of ignorance, carefully prying at her.
Turning her head further away from him, she hoped he could see her expression even less than before.
"It was fine, up until the end when…" she murmured before cutting herself off. It was way too embarrassing to remember, she had tried all day yesterday to forget what happened but she couldn't. It was her first kiss, well first kiss with a man anyway, Kanako didn't really count since it had been an accident and she was a women.
He sighed by her lack of communication.
She kept her eyes on the floor, unaware of the figure that moved from behind the desk and stalked towards her. Crouching down beside her he gently took her chin in his hand forcing her to look him in the eyes. One would think she had a fever by how flushed her face had become in the few moments they spoke.
"When…?" he continued her previous statement.
"Nothing…nothing happened…"
Giving her a look of disbelief, she knew he wasn't completely convinced by her blatant expression, and how she kept averting her gaze, making sure their eye didn't meet.
"Then why are you acting so suspicious?"
"Be-because your face is too close to mine!" she lied; her inability to fib never failed her. Even though their faces were close she was more concerned with changing the subject.
"Indeed…my apologies" returning back to his desk Kyoya's careful watch never left her figure. She tried maintaining their eye contact to show that she was standing by her lie, which she hoped he didn't catch on to. But it just made her feel even more nervous. Even when she managed to look at away from him to her paperwork, she was still unable to keep her concentration focused on the documents.
"Haruhi I will remind you this much; while you are contract bound to me I fully expect you to act appropriately so no fights, no acting brashly, no making complete spectacles unless it is part of one of the hosts activities then it will be allowed..."
Rules, rules, rules. It's as if he expected her to act like a barbarian, she was a commoner true but that didn't make her a caveman! Well to the rich walking several blocks to the supermarket probably was considered barbaric.
"…And no intimate relations with any student or staff members" he concluded.
She flashed back to the time of the masquerade when a kiss was shared with a masked stranger, which was definitely considered intimate.
"Why the hell would I want to be intimate!? I have studies to focus on and better things to do!" her voice raised a little too loud, displaying her embarrassment and clear audacity at the very thought.
She couldn't meet his eyes then, she felt that if he looked into hers then he would know what she had done. It was impossible but still she was not the most skilled when it came to concealing information, especially from the one man who could easily find out anything and everything.
"I'm just reminding Haruhi, nothing more so don't get too defensive." Restraining a chuckle caught in his throat.
She could still feel those grey eyes upon her, burning through her skin into the very depths of her mind. As if he knew she was lying, as if he knew being that within such a close proximity to him made her uneasy, as if he knew every movement and every word that could and would set her off. Why couldn't she just get back to work and forget everything, unfortunately even her work couldn't fully keep her distracted, especially when the little things would get to her so easily.
Eventually his stare had left her and returned back to his laptop. As if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, she managed to calm herself down and return to the work at hand. If there was any chance of her finishing tonight she had quit wasting time and get back to work.
Hours and hours passed she only stopped a few times to bring him meals that they shared together or went to use the restroom, at one point he had left during her absence to clean himself up and change clothes.
Several times that day he had left her in that room to run some errands that needed attending to. When he had returned eventually she was still there leaning over the binders, the same position he had left her in.
She was so quiet the whole time she didn't shuffle that much or groan for that matter. It was almost midnight, had they really been there that long? It was time for her to leave; he would finish the paper work up there –
"Done!" She exclaimed.
Snapping out of his thoughts he peered over at her "what did you say?"
Behind her, the once empty bookshelves where now filled with the organized binders, the floor was void of any and all papers that had once littered it, the only unbound papers were those of a small stack she carried in her arms along with the book he had given her.
"I'm done, it took every second I could spare but it's all done" walking over to the desk she placed the book and documents on the surface.
He had thought when giving her this assignment that it would be impossible to finish when the time limit was so short. Well nearly impossible, and she actually did it.
Standing from his desk he walked past her towards the once empty bookcase, picking up one of the random binders he flipped through it. It was organized just as he had told her; it was all in precise order. Even for him this would have demanded a late night, pushing back some of his other tasks to the side.
"You actually finished…" the statement more to himself then to her.
"Don't doubt Haruhi Fujioka's skill!" placing her hands on her hip she proudly smiled.
Even if you had yet to wow him with her tea skills she was ecstatic she had surprised him, no, shocked him! Well he was at least stunned because for a moment it seemed like he wasn't even moving, just staring down at the back of he closed binder.
Keeping his back to her, he placed the book back in its original place and rounded back to his desk; sitting on the edge instead of his chair.
"You have done well Haruhi, I almost underestimated you." She laughed in her head, so he finally praised her! Where was the recording button when she really needed it? She would have recorded him and set that as his ringtone on her cellphone.
"Tomorrow our work continues" he said interrupting her private celebratory thoughts, not giving her time to savor the sweet feeling of triumph.
"Our work?" when had this become their work? Wasn't she supposed to work solo?
"Yes, tomorrow we will begin making rounds to each of those facilities; I will inspect them and see what steps are required for each to be considered up to date. You will accompany me on every visit, writing down and recording what I say needs done" he stated a matter-of-factly.
"So we'll be out in public? Together?" she couldn't risk that. What if any of her classmates or even any of the hosts saw them together? They would obviously get the wrong idea and even if she did tell them the truth she would end up exposing her employment to Kyoya, which would be hell.
"No one will know who we are except the staff. Even then they won't say anything, policy and such you understand" reaffirming her that they would not be caught.
"But still what if som-"
"Haruhi" he interrupted her.
"You will come with me, this is non-optional and non-negotiable. Any of my business outings you will accompany me, anywhere and everywhere I go you will follow me. Now that those damn files are processed and out of the way, you will remain at my side."
The probability that any of their friends would see them together was highly inconsiderable. None of them visited any of the Ootori medical establishments when every family had their own personal physicians. Only in extreme cases would they need serious medical attention, and that rarely ever happened.
"So… where you go I go?" her once high spirit sank just a little, she was worried about being seen together, it felt almost taboo that it just be the two of them.
"Precisely. This is your job Haruhi, do take it seriously"
"Yes Master Kyoya" she reluctantly answered.
Grabbing her side bag she placed it on her shoulder ready to go home for the night since there was obviously nothing more to do. Before she opened the door she looked back at Kyoya who was still sitting on the edge of his desk now holding an opened book, paying no attention to her.
There was definitely some going on, he was different, something had changed and she wanted to know what. He never hesitated to invade her personal space, making requests and demands of her that she questioned many times but would still perform in the end.
Noticing from the corner of his eye that she had yet to exit out the door, she remained in the same spot. Looking up at her he saw that she was just staring at him, wordless, motionless, and expressionless. Resting the book on his lap he finally spoke to her.
"I thought you were leaving for the night?" he asked
"I am"
A moment passed, filled with continued stares as she tilted her head slightly to the side, as if examining him. Whatever was going on she would find out, with or without his permission.
"Are you making a study of me?" he questioned her once again, he recognized those eyes so well, those were the eyes he gave her, and quite often.
"Someone should" she remarked before quickly making her exit hastily shutting the door behind her.
He stared at the door, a grin slowly graced his features.
"Indeed, so you shall…"
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Sooo my lovelies!? What do you think for a semi-filler?
I realized as the chapters went on the word count grew quite larger haha but sadly this is chapter is not quite as long but do not fret dearies you will not be disappointed.
I'm excited for the next chapter because I know exactly what I'm going to write and AHHHHHH just too excited! Please do let me know what you think, I do take all your thoughts and criticism very seriously, if you want to see certain events take place, see more of certain people, please do let me know I will consider them.
Tatty bye for now dearies!