Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran Host Club
Sorry It's been taking so long…I might try to do a song chapter where I combine a song into the story…I'm experimenting so don't kill me.
"Hey, Haruhi, Did you know that a natural blue rose has never been bred?"
"I guess you're kinda like that, right, Kano?"
"What do you mean?"
"You'll find out someday."
"Yeah sure whatever Empress."
What's that supposed to mean?"
"You'll find out someday."
"Oh ha ha."
Kano closed her book, sighing. The host club had just ended. She hadn't had a designation for today, which was odd, but then again, most of the first years were on a trip so she stayed behind with Tamaki, Kyouya, Hunny and Mori. Yawning, She stretched and went to the door.
"Yo! Kyo-san! I'm going home!" The girls turned to watch her back leave the room and close the door. Kyouya tilted his head so that the light's reflection hid his eyes.
"Kyo-san, am I?" He gave a slight chuckle before continuing to humor his designations. (A/N: I'm sorry I forgot how to put it.) The girls didn't seem to notice that his mind had wandered from his surroundings.
As she walked home, Kano wondered how the others were doing. She shook her head and focused on the task at hand. She needed to find some information on the two imposters of the Blue Rose/Empress duo. So far, they, whoever they were, were doing a good job of hiding below the radar. She guessed that very soon, the two imposters would have to show themselves. As Kano passed a dark alley, her cell phone rang. It was from an old informant. Since the rumor had reached her ears, she had been reinstating old debts and favors owed to her by the police, gangs, and other individuals. This particular informant hung out at the Gatelock, a bar that Kano knew enough of to know that if she went in there by herself, she wouldn't come out in one piece. She rubbed her head, wondering if this informant was worth asking someone out on a business date.
Haruhi stopped walking suddenly. She was on the trip with the rest of the class. Hikaru and Kaoru stopped to look at her.
"What's wrong Haruhi?" Haruhi shook her head.
"Nothing, I just got a shiver down my back that's all. It's almost as though Kano is contemplating something that she usually never thinks about." The twins looked at each other and shrugged. Haruhi smiled and shook her head. It was probably nothing. After all, Kano wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything too dangerous. "But…" that thought stuck in her mind. "But what if she found a lead she couldn't refuse?" Haruhi shook her head again. "Relax…you're heading home tomorrow nothing could happen in that span of time." A picture of a fire flickered through her head. "That's it!" She had said the last part aloud. The twins looked at her. Haruhi had pulled out her cell phone. "I'm calling Kano."
As Kano was contemplating her dilemma, her own cell phone rang. Seeing it was from Haruhi, she sighed in relief.
"Hey, Haruhi. I was just about to call you." Not a complete truth but anyway.
"Kano, I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen to you…again."
"Aw, Haruhi, not this again…look, I'm going to meet an informant about our two imposters."
"Not the Gatelock informant right?" Kano nearly choked. She'd forgotten how well Haruhi knew her.
"Not really. Around that area but nowhere close to the Gatelock. I'll see you tomorrow." Kano hung up before Haruhi could respond. She would have to hurry up and figure out how to get the information by tonight or else the lead would be lost. As her mind ran down a list to call she decided to refrain from calling him. That was one thing she wouldn't risk on this adventure.
After Kano hung up on her, Haruhi knew immediately that something was wrong. Kano would go to the Gatelock. They'd had the same conversation about it many times. Where she would ask if Kano's destination was the Gatelock or not. The answer was always a quick "no, it's just around that location but not anywhere near it." Haruhi sighed tiredly, knowing that she would have to leave as soon as possible.
"Kano's going to get hurt again." She hadn't meant to say it out loud but it caught Kaoru's attention. He stopped to stare at her.
"Why?"
"It's just something that always happens." Kaoru glanced at Hikaru who understood what his twin wanted. Almost immediately, Hikaru hunched over groaning.
"Hikaru!" Kaoru was by his brother's side. "Hikaru, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, Kaoru." The twins were pulling off their act again. "It's nothing." As Hikaru tried to stand, he collapsed onto the floor. Kaoru put his brother's arm around his shoulder.
"Haruhi, take his other side." Haruhi helped Kaoru help Hikaru out and into a waiting helicopter.
"Damn rich people." Haruhi thought as she climbed in with the twins. The helicopter took off and sped away towards Ouran.
Kano sighed resignedly as she flopped onto her bed. She wasn't having any luck at all. If things kept going the way they were, she would lose the lead and possibly never find it again. There was a knock at the door and Kano went to open it.
"Kyouya-senpai? What are you doing here?" Kyouya smirked at her.
"I'm not Kyo-san anymore?" Kano shrugged.
"Are you going to come in or will I have to stand and we'll have a nice chat out here in the hall?" Hunny appeared at Kyouya's elbow.
"Kanny-chan! Kanny-chan! We brought you some cake!" Kano grinned and let them into the apartment. Kyouya looked at Hunny.
"Cake first, Kanny-chan (Kyouya used her nickname sarcastically.)" Kano threw him a scathing look.
"Sure thing, Kyo-chan." Kano smiled, satisfied. "Tamaki's not with you guys? That's interesting."
"Not really, Haruhi's on that field trip after all." Kyouya ate a piece of cake from his fork. Kano gave a small chuckle.
"Oh right." Hunny stood up.
"ne, Kanny-chan, you've never been to watch cherry blossoms, ne?" Kano shook her head as she stood up and began cleaning up the plates.
"Not out of season, senpai." As she turned around to get the cups, Hunny grabbed her hand.
"We'll take you with us tomorrow, ne, Takashi?" Mori nodded.
"Yeah." Kano gave the two of them a grateful smile.
"I'm glad…but Haruhi's coming back tomorrow and I'm sure Kyouya would be jealous." Kyouya made no indication he had heard as he moved past the three of them to put the cups he had been holding into the sink.
"Why, Pray tell, would I be jealous of the two of them?" Kano blinked at him.
"I meant you'd be jealous of me. I mean, I know how much you enjoy looking at cherry blossoms." Kyouya pushed up his glasses.
"You assume too much I'm afraid." Kano shrugged as she held the door open for the three of them.
"Well, it was nice of you three to visit, but I've got some chores to do." She grinned at them as she slid down the banister of the stairs. "See you all tomorrow."
Kano was on her way to Gatelock. She felt kind of bad that she had lied to Haruhi but she had a sneaking suspicion that Haruhi was possibly going to intercept her. If not, then she was lucky. As she walked, suddenly, the twins appeared on either side of her and grabbed her arms.
"Target captured." They pushed her into their limo.
"Weren't you two supposed to be on the class trip?" Kano looked at the two of them.
"Hikaru got a stomachache." She looked at them appraising.
"He looks fine now." The limo stopped and pulled in front of the twins' house. "Though I suppose that Haruhi's with you and that's the only reason why you would snatch me off the street like you did." The twins shrugged, but their silence told her that she was right. Kano smiled to herself and opened the door that the two of them indicated. There was Haruhi dressed up in a light pink kimono, no doubt designed by the Hitachiins' mother.
"Gatelock is having a theme party. You'll have a time getting in without this." Haruhi threw a dark blue kimono at Kano. The latter sighed as she put on the kimono. She put up her hair lazily. She leaned back and looked at her old friend.
"Want me to help you with your hair too?" Haruhi shook her head.
"Don't want what happened last time to happen again." Kano sweat dropped.
"Hey, you volunteered." Her companion smothered a bark of laughter.
"You didn't mention that you were experimenting with scissors." Kano shrugged and walked over to the door.
"Won't it seem weird if two girls go in by themselves? You know how guys enter in droves."
"Won't be a problem."
"Why?" Kano opened the door and there stood Hikaru and Kaoru in matching kimonos. She rubbed her forehead. "Forget I asked." The twins bowed and entered their host mode. They bowed and said in perfect sync.
"We're honored to…" Kano cut them off.
"Yeah, yeah. Save it." She walked past them. "We'd better get there in time. The informant told me to be there at seven." Haruhi and the twins walked to keep up with her. Haruhi quickened her pace to match Kano's and caught up with her just as she was getting into the limo.
"Kano, are you blushing?" Kano gave her a look.
"D-definitely not." Haruhi smiled as she sat next to Kano. The twins piled in and Kano crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared pointedly out the window. For her, it was going to be a long drive to Gatelock as the twins and Haruhi joked around.