"Your handwriting sucks," Hikaru said to Haruhi. She was placed, as usual, in the center between him his twin, Kaoru.
Haruhi looked up at him with a curious expression.
"Don't mind him, Haruhi," Kaoru said, slightly amused.
His brother's words were true though. Haruhi did have horrendous writing. Kaoru had seen five-year olds with better handwriting than their female companion possessed. They were sure, though, that she'd at least land them a passing score.
"Let us buy you lunch," Kaoru said as they moved farther up the lunch line where the school-hired professional cooks awaited with elegantly prepared meals of expensive dishes and various foods.
"Huh, why?" Haruhi asked. She looked down at the bento box which she held between her hands, "I already have my own."
"You'd really pass up our offering of free food?" Hikaru asked with a mischievous grin. While one might say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, Haruhi certainly applied to the rule despite her gender. Although... maybe her sense of style played some part.
"Yes, think of all those poor children around the world that aren't allowed the chance to eat. How selfish you are, Haruhi!" Kaoru said with mock teary eyes.
"I doubt that they'd be expecting flawlessly cooked steaks," Haruhi mused aloud.
Hikaru and Kaoru shrugged at the same time, "Suit yourself."
They were next in line.
Haruhi glanced at her simply-wrapped lunch and then back at the two innocent looking twins.
The twins turned around and were just about to move up to place their orders when Haruhi's mumbled words of defeat caught their attention, "... Maybe just this once."
It didn't take too long for the twins to place their orders, receive the food, and pay for everything. Hikaru had decided to carry Haruhi's plate as well, despite the fact all three of them knew she could (and would) carry it, but was not one who would openly complain either. She just acknowledged the act and let an unspoken thank you linger until the three of them sat down at an empty table.
Although she could leave certain things be, she could not, however, ignore the stranger-than-usual behavior the twins were participating in.
"Why did the two of you buy lunch for me?" Haruhi asked, picking up a piece of meat with her chopsticks.
"Just paying back a favor," Kaoru replied cryptically with a grin. Hikaru had already stuffed food into his mouth and was therefore incapable of answering.
"Ah."
'She's so easy to please,' the twins thought, shooting each other a smirk over her head.
Before they could start on their food once more, the shout of 'Haruhiiii!' could be heard throughout the entire cafeteria. They all knew who the voice belonged to. A certain blond haired club president who seemed to barge in most unexpectedly (all the time).
Said blond haired prince had just latched onto his 'darling daughter' and was squeezing the girl in a tight embrace.
"Daddy has missed you so much, Haruhi!" Tamaki Suoh whaled and flailed about with the cross-dressing female in his arms. Kaoru and Hikaru had to scoot farther away from the girl to avoid being hit, but continued to eat their food as if the older male hadn't appeared.
"We saw each other Saturday," Haruhi replied, taking a deep breath when Tamaki finally released her.
"Yes, but it's been a whole day since you've seen my lovely face. No one should be deprived of that! A crime, I say," Tamaki replied dramatically with an elegant pose. The sound of girls swooning nearby could be heard while others squealed in delight and soaked up the image.
"Haru-chan!" Hunny exclaimed as he and Mori walked up to the table. The two were followed by Kyoya Ootori who Haruhi knew very well as the 'Shadow King'.
"Hello," Haruhi greeted warmly as she acknowledged the newcomers who took their seats at the table.
"Seeing as we're all here," Kyoya started, "there's something we need to discuss."
Haruhi looked over at the 'cool-type' of their group and mentally groaned. Whenever Kyoya had something to talk about, it usually pertained to her debt or some activity that would be later added to her debt because of all the 'misfortunes' that she seemed to suffer during such an activity. She had only recently paid back the debt that she had acquired after the beach incident. 'The flowers better have been good!'
"Mother has been very busy organizing our club trip!"
"Club ... trip?" Haruhi questioned as her gaze fixated onto the violet-eyed 'prince'.
"It's only natural that after such hard work and commitment towards club activities that we should be allowed rest and relaxation!" Tamaki replied with a handsome smile.
"Besides, what exactly do you think we do with the club funds?" Kyoya asked as he raised his glasses further up the bridge of his nose with a delicate push from his index finger.
"Buying tea sets and purchasing costumes?" Haruhi questioned dryly.
Kyoya waved his hand effortlessly in the air, "Trivial things that pale in comparison to the club's profits."
'So basically,' Haruhi thought to herself, 'the debt I've accumulated – (correcting herself) still am accumulating – is going towards a trip that will probably only even add more to my debt? This seems to be a never ending cycle!'
"Where are we going?" the twins asked simultaneously.
Kyoya smiled, "After much consideration and research..."
"A week on my family's cruise ship!" Tamaki loudly interrupted, ruining the Shadow Prince's dramatic presentation.
Haruhi nearly fell over, and it wasn't just from the evil aura that Kyoya was emitting.
Her thoughts of 'a whole week with these guys?' were drowned out by Hunny's enthusiastic cheers and the rest of the club's approval.
Ever since the lunch break had ended, Haruhi Fujioka had been running on autopilot. She couldn't even remember how she did on the science exam; one that she had been confident about, but would worry over later because the only thought running through her mind at that moment was 'a week.'
She'd be spending a week, confined on a cruise ship, with her fellow host club members. Two tricksters, a personal accountant (that only focused on how much she owed), a brooding shadow, his overenthusiastic charge, and the dramatic host club president.
There had been a brief moment of inspiration. She had thought that the cruise might not be a mandatory event. Any such idea was shot down when she had asked Kyoya. Then again, he hadn't said anything about illness and or injury. Perhaps she could 'come down' with a disease such as mad cow or cancer. She was intelligent, creative... she could get out of this. Maybe she'd 'fall down' a stairway and break her leg.
"Oh, Haruhi! I just heard the wonderful news and I decided to go shopping and get you some cute bikinis and dresses and a nice skirt. You'll look just so adorable in pink!"
Or maybe she'd just push her father down a stairway and claim she had to take care of him until he felt better.
Haruhi glided past her father's open arms as she entered the apartment, shutting the door behind her. She slipped off her shoes, ignoring her father's mumble of, "such a cold daughter!"
"I assume you and Kyoya spoke sometime during the day?" Haruhi asked as she headed towards her bedroom. She'd put down her book bag and then she would get started on dinner. Since her father was home, she'd have to cook the extra fish that she would have otherwise used for her lunch the next day. It was doubtful that the twins would be so generous again, but she had no complaints about their stranger than usual behavior. The food had been too good.
"Of course, since my daughter doesn't talk to me about school," Ranka said before dramatically adding, "a father worries so!"
Haruhi couldn't see how her father and Tamaki didn't get along. They were both embarrassing, too interested in her life, and extremely self absorbed. Tamaki more-so than her father, but the similarities were strikingly obvious.
"Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes," Haruhi said loud enough so her father could hear. She placed her supplies on top of her desk and decided that she would change out of her uniform after she had started cooking dinner.
"Alright!" her father called back, wondering if she'd noticed the shopping bags on her bed yet. If she hadn't yet, she'd certainly be delighted when she found out. After all, what girl wouldn't be happy with a father that had such great taste?
Haruhi, however, was totally oblivious to the shopping bags placed neatly on her bed. It wasn't until after she had eaten dinner, cleared the table, cleaned the dishes, changed into something suitable for bed, and had finished her homework that she actually realized there were bags of clothes from her father's shopping spree earlier that day.
She curiously peered into the bag and then lowered her hand into it, grasping onto something...
"Eh?!" Haruhi exclaimed at the frilly pink strapless dress in her hands.
Her father had already slipped off, deciding that he'd go to work anyways. With a "thanks for dinner, sweetie!" and a brief hug, he'd been off through the door. Now she knew why.
It wasn't a horrible dress. She wouldn't mind wearing it, but she wouldn't have bought it for herself had she seen it in a store. While her father did have a sense of what was 'in' these days, she did not. If he hadn't purchased her clothes for the trip, she would have probably ended up with something the twins didn't approve of. Not that she would have cared what she was dressed in, but she could do without the twins treating her like their very own life size doll and providing her with their mother's new designs. Plus, they always ended up replacing clothing that didn't meet their expectations and she never saw the "crimes against fashion" ever again. She'd lost over three shirts, two pairs of pants, and a pair of shoes to the twins alone.
In the closet, there was an empty suitcase that once belonged to her mother. It was black, a roll-around type, but it was still in good shape despite the years it had seen. Her mother had used it only three or so times. While Kotoko's work didn't cause her to travel so often, there were a few trips that had caused the talented lawyer to live out of a suitcase.
Spending a week alone with just the host club was not the only reason she didn't want to leave. While a three week school holiday started next week, the same week they'd be leaving for a 'relaxing seven day cruise' meant that there wasn't going to be missed tests or piles of homework to worry about, her real concern involved her father and their home.
Ever since she was little, she had stopped relying on others. She figured that, without her mother to keep the family together, she would have to do it. Although he was her father and she loved and cared for him very much, Ryoji Fujioka had never exactly been parent of the year material. She knew he followed her to the supermarket, pretending to be clueless whenever he was caught.
How was he going to manage with her gone for a week? She couldn't expect him, after so many years of her being the one in charge, to simply take over while she was off with her friends for a lengthy period of time. It was selfish and even though she knew her father would deny it, the truth was evident to them both.
She sighed and collapsed onto her bed, suddenly growing weary of her thoughts. She had another week to figure things out.