Finally finished this chapter, and I have once again come to the conclusion that I am human garbage. I'm so sorry for the long wait, but there might have to be more in the future as my free time will become more scarce.
Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I only own my OC.
Their Long Day Comes To An End!
Shun sighed as she trudged along the sidewalk, Haruhi walking next to her and the hosts trailing behind. All she wanted was a peaceful day alone with her family, but now she was bringing the hosts to meet her mother. How did things turn out like this?
"Shun, where are we even going?" Kaoru piped up, interrupting Shun's thoughts. "Is your mother at work or something?"
Shun scratched her cheek nervously as she cast a glance at Haruhi. "Not exactly..."
"Then, are your parents divorced?" Hikaru asked.
Tamaki quickly smacked both twins upside the head. "Stop pestering Shun!" he scolded. "If it was important, then she would tell us! Right, Shun?"
At Tamaki's hopeful face, Shun turned away with a blank expression. "Even if it was important, I still wouldn't tell you." As Tamaki let out an offended gasp, Shun stopped walking and shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't matter, anyway. We're here."
The host club halted immediately to stare at their location in confusion. In front of them stood an enormous structure, its walls painted a pristine white. Its shadow loomed over the hosts, and they could clearly read the characters for 'Asahi Hospital' written on the face of the building.
Shun and Haruhi did not seem to find anything strange about it at all, and they nonchalantly strolled over to the swinging doors at the entrance. Noticing that the boys were still rooted in their spots, Shun impatiently beckoned them over. The hosts glanced at each other in apparent apprehension before following her into the hospital.
Once inside, Shun ordered the hosts to stay put while she and Haruhi approached the receptionist. The said receptionist's face lit up with recognition upon seeing Shun.
"Oh, Shun! How nice to see you again!" she chirped. "Here to visit your mother?"
Smiling politely, Shun gestured offhandedly at the hosts that had accumulated behind her. Much to her chagrin, Kyouya was reading a pamphlet on the hospital's organization, Tamaki and the twins were marveling at how minimalistic everything was, and Honey was excitedly flipping through a children's picture book, showing off his favorite pages to Mori. These guys are the complete opposite of inconspicuous. "Is it alright if they come with me?" Shun asked, her voice akin to that of an exhausted babysitter.
The receptionist stifled a laugh and nodded cheerily, moving to type something into her computer. Then, she turned back to Shun with a bright smile. "Your mother is in room 304."
After thanking the woman, Shun made her way to the elevators and pressed one of the buttons. She then squared her shoulders and swiveled around to face the host club.
"Listen, my mother is a bit... cutthroat," she admitted sheepishly.
"If even Shun thinks her mother is cutthroat—" Hikaru began.
"—then that means she's the real deal!" Kaoru shivered mockingly and snickered alongside his brother.
"Shut up!" Shun growled angrily, before sighing with defeat. "Look, she makes snap judgements about people and can be a little intimidating. Just," she paused as the elevators doors opened, "be on your best behavior."
With that last bit of advice, the hosts all joined Shun in the elevator as the doors slowly closed behind them.
Ten minutes later...
The hosts all stared in shock at the image before them.
Cutthroat?
Snap judgements?
Intimidating?
The hospital room was decorated with numerous flower bouquets, each one a different shade of blue. They were everywhere—sat on the counter, perched on the windowsill, tucked into the corner. There was even one in a wicker basket hanging from the IV drip beside the bed.
In the center of all the gorgeous fauna was a woman sitting up in the bed, a small book clutched in her hands. She had a remarkably youthful face, framed by the auburn hair that ended at her chin, and her beauty was enough to put the man-made garden surrounding her to shame. Hearing shuffling movements, the woman closed her book and looked up expectantly. The edges of her eyes crinkled as she smiled upon seeing Shun and Haruhi.
"What a wonderful surprise!" she said happily, clapping her hands together. Then, she beckoned the two girls over with a wave of her hand. As they settled beside her, she took both of their hands and encased them in her own. "You two have grown even more beautiful than the last time I saw you!"
"Thank you, you're looking very well yourself!" Haruhi said politely, while Shun meekly ducked her head, attempting to hide the growing blush on her face.
The woman laughed and reached over to Shun, pinching her cheek lovingly. "Don't be so shy, Shun. You know it's true!"
Shun squirmed until her mother relinquished her hold and coughed awkwardly. "We, uh, brought company."
Shun's mother turned to look at the hosts standing in the doorway, as if she hadn't noticed them before. Smiling sweetly, she waved at the boys. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Shun's mother, Rei Inoue."
Snapping out of their stupor, the hosts suddenly began bombarding Rei with greetings and compliments. Despite the fact that they were all trying to talk at the same time, Rei answered all of them at a flawless tempo.
"Hi, we're the Hitachiin twins! We're friends of your daughter."
"Well, the two of you certainly are handsome. Hikaru is the left, and Kaoru the right, I presume?"
"What? How did you know?"
"I just had a feeling. Oh, and you, the one with the glasses—you're Kyouya Ootori, right?"
"Yes, that is correct. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Inoue."
"Please, call me Rei. I once paid a visit to one of your family's hospitals, and I must say, your work has been stellar!"
"Wow, you're really pretty, Mrs. Inoue!"
"Oh, aren't you adorable! I have to admit, you are a lot smaller than what I imagined when Shun described you to me, but that doesn't matter."
With every passing moment, Shun fell deeper and deeper into a dark pit of regret. With the rate things are going, we're going to be stuck here for hours. Noticing Tamaki waiting for a chance to work his hosting charm, Shun and Haruhi both groaned. Here it comes.
Tamaki flipped his bangs proudly, striding over to Rei with an air of superiority. He may have lost his chance at earning Akio's good graces, but he definitely would not miss this opportunity as well!
"Mrs. Inoue, it is of my utmost pleasure to meet you. I am Tamaki Suoh." Gently, he picked up Rei's hand and placed a feather-light kiss on top of it.
Shun smacked her hand against her forehead. Not this song and dance again.
"You know," Tamaki said, "you are much more beautiful than I could have ever imagined."
Rei giggled, her laugh chiming like bells. "Well, aren't you the charmer? You really are a wonderful group of young men. I'm glad that Shun and Haruhi have friends like you." Coughing slightly, Rei pat her chest and turned to Shun. "Shun, dear, could you get me some water? All of this talking has worn out my voice."
"Yeah, sure," Shun said as she stood up, stretching her arms over her head.
As the door closed, Rei noticed everyone's slightly worried looks. "Don't worry about me," she reassured them. "The only reason I'm in the hospital so often is because I have a weak immune system, so I get sick very easily. That being said, I can't really be around Shun very much. I can't stop her from being reckless, and there's not much I can do to protect her." Suddenly, Rei's voice dropped into a serious tone, keeping just enough edge to unnerve the hosts. "I hope that you understand."
It was at this moment that the hosts understood what Shun meant about her mother being cutthroat and intimidating. Her demeanor reminded them of a snake, coiled in hiding and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Rei, seeing the startled looks on the hosts' faces, sighed and placed a hand on her forehead. "I've done it again. I'm sorry if I've frightened you—I think Akio is rubbing off on me too much." She smiled apologetically before looking down at her clasped hands. "You've done nothing but be polite, and there's no reason I should be worried about Shun's relations with you, but... it's the fact that you seem so kindhearted that worries me."
"What do you mean?" Tamaki asked.
Rei exhaled slowly. "Shun is extremely selfless, almost to the point where it's a fault. She would do anything for the people she cares about." She gestured to the garden of blue flowers around her as an example. "If you asked her to cut off her arm, I'm sure she would not hesitate. She would even do something as reckless as throwing her future away in order to repay someone. And, since she's so stubborn, it's impossible to stop her. So, I guess what I'm asking is that you just... keep an eye on her in my place."
Tamaki's smile wavered through the river of tears running down his face. "We will, we will! I, Tamaki Suoh, will care after Shun as if she were my own daughter!"
"We're her friends, so we'll make sure she doesn't get into trouble, but—" Hikaru began.
"—Shun doesn't seem to be that self-sacrificing of a person, at least not from what we've seen!" Kaoru assured her.
Rei looked at them skeptically before pointing to the doorway. As if on cue, the door slammed open. Shun panted heavily as she bent over and rested one hand on her knee, holding up a styrofoam cup in the other.
"What took you so long?" Hikaru asked as he approached her, taking the cup from her hand.
After a minute of collecting herself, Shun straightened up. "Well, there were only vending machines on this floor, and I didn't have any money left, so I asked where the water dispensers were. Someone told me there was one on the seventh floor, but the elevator went out of order, so I walked up the stairs. And I fell a couple of times. It took me a while, but at least I got the water!"
As Shun flopped down onto a chair, the hosts turned to gape at Rei. In response, she merely turned her head and took a sip from the cup nonchalantly.
One hour later...
The group waved enthusiastically at Rei before Shun closed the door behind them. The hosts chattered amongst themselves happily, satisfied from the days' events. Meanwhile, Shun's shoulders drooped with exhaustion. I just want to go home. Maybe I'll take a nap, or draw up a nice, warm bath—
"Oh, yeah, Shun? Ranka said you took my phone after I left it behind. Can I have it back?" Hikaru nudged Shun's shoulder to get her attention.
"Huh? Oh, sure." Shun reached into her pocket to grab it, but came up empty. With a panicked expression, Shun pawed around her jacket desperately. As the dreaded realization began to sink in, Shun collapsed to the ground on her knees and let out an unintelligible sound of frustration. "I left it behind at Haruhi's house..."
Agh, so much character exposition. Sorry if the chapters have been repetitive, I just wanted to get the bulk of Shun's character out of the way. Please review!