Twilight: Hello…I'm sure you're wondering where the furry pain in the ass is. H-He's abandoned me. Apparently, he's a shonen-only muse, so I had to borrow my friend's. Sadly, she's deaf so he doesn't talk. But his name's John.

John: …

Twilight: Sigh…I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.

. Doe Eyes .

… an Ouran High School Host Club fanfiction

--

Doe Eyes © Dragon of Twilight


Ouran High School Host Club © Bisco Hatori

This introduction format © B a y o – B a y o

--

CHAPTER T W O:
"The Host Club"

Zenmyo blinked several times, trying to clear her vision of sleep as she let out a low moan. She felt groggy and a headache pounded in her temples, so she was slightly grateful that her captor had the decency to leave the lights off. As she slowly slid into a more conscious state, she abruptly became aware that her arms were tied behind her back and her legs were bound to the two front legs of a chair, albeit a rather comfy one.

After a while of trying to free herself, she let her head hang low. Her eyes felt sticky with the salt from when she'd cried earlier. No matter how she twisted, she couldn't loosen the bonds and twisting only hurt her shoulders. Zenmyo knew that that boy that had attacked her had something to do with this whole situation, and she sat ramrod straight as she remembered the sedated tanuki with a jolt.

What happened to Pome?! Did they hurt him? What's going to happen to me?

Her body trembled and she bit her lip as fear began to creep up on her. She strained her ears, trying to hear anything that was being spoken. As she listened closely, she picked up voices. At first it was only an incoherent sound, but it grew closer to her and she was able to hear nearly every word with the approaching proximity of the speaker.

She recognized her attacker's deep voice with a jolt, and bit her lip fearfully as the voices drew closer.

"…woken up," he was saying. There was a pause before another voice spoke up. Zenmyo blinked in surprise; it sounded like a child.

"If Pome's okay, then what was she trying to do? Ne, what do you think, Kyo-chan?"

Another voice spoke up, smooth and businesslike, as if making a formal report. "I've checked the list of visitors due today; a girl of her description is not mentioned on it." The person sounded slightly displeased with this lack of information. "Judging from her firearm, she's from an animal control agency of some sort. But that shouldn't be since Mori-sempai already obtained permission to allow his pets on school grounds."

"Then—" One person spoke.

"What's she—" Another person's voice seamlessly picking up the sentence.

"Doing here?" Both together.

"That's what we're going to find out!" This voice was cheerful, but serious at the same time. "We must be gentle in getting answers. The young lady seemed pretty fragile."

"That bite mark on Mori-senpai's arm would suggest otherwise." A low-pitched female voice spoke up, tone as dry as the desert sun. "It's starting to bruise."

The childish one seemed concerned now. "Oh, wow, Takashi, it's getting all black and blue! Can you move your arm?"

The deep voice again. "Aa."

Five boys, a kid, and a girl. Zenmyo bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as she thought frantically. If the kid's with them, then there's no chance I'll get him to help me. I might be able to take down the girl and the other guys by myself, but…

A cold chill raced down her spine and she shuddered, remembering the solid wall of muscle that was accompanying her captors. There was no way she could take him out even despite the bruise she'd managed to make on him. Hell, the bite probably just made him angry.

She broke out in a cold, fearful sweat, and she felt anxious tears build up in the corners of her eyes. There was an extended amount of silence as she waited apprehensively to hear the next words spoken. She nearly had a heart attack when a door suddenly flew open to fill the dark room with light, the sight greeting her one of the strangest she'd ever seen.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the seven standing in the doorway, all of who peered at her in return with equal parts curiosity, wariness, and resignation.

They were all fairly attractive, and Zenmyo felt her cheeks heat despite her fear as she looked each of them over in turn. Oh my…

A boy with bright blond hair caught her attention first. He was almost painfully handsome with bright blue eyes and fine-featured face. Something about his posture and overly curious expression made her think he had a flair for the overdramatic. Behind him was a slender boy with black hair and glasses that caught the light, casting them an ominous white. He lowered his head a tad to look at her, and the hair rose on the back of her neck as she caught sight of his eyes. His lips were smiling, but his eyes were a slate gray and icy cold.

They seemed calculating, almost sly, and Zenmyo immediately looked away to escape their scrutiny, moving on to who she guessed had been the female voice. Next to the glasses-wearing boy was a gentle-looking female student with large chocolate brown eyes and short brown hair wearing the same uniform as the rest of them. Hovering over her protectively were two golden-eyed spiky-haired boys, both identical in almost every way right down to the suspicious narrow-eyed glare they were sending her way. The only glaringly obvious difference was that one had dark hair, obviously dyed despite having also dyed his eyebrows, and the other had a bright burnt-orange that seemed to be his natural color. Peering curiously at her was a small blond child with huge, puppy-like brown eyes clasping a large pink rabbit toy to his chest, while a small, contented smile played on his mouth. Something shrewd about those brown eyes told her that he was much older than he looked.

A curious bunch, that was sure, but as she caught sight of the person at the very back of the group it was fear instead of curiosity that she felt. Her mouth went dry as she locked gazes with a pair of impassive dark gray eyes.

He was even taller than she thought, probably topping six feet. Unlike the others, he wore a black t-shirt. His short, spiky black hair would have easily brushed the ceiling in her old apartment. Broad shoulders betrayed the great strength in his lanky frame, and her hands clenched on the armrests as she remembered the terrible power of those arms. Panic abruptly flashed through her as she spotted the groggy tanuki in the giant's grip. Without thinking, she lunged forward against her bonds.

"Put him down!" Zenmyo barked authoritively with a confidence she did not feel. Immediately, she shrunk down into the chair as seven pairs of eyes focused sharply on her. Meekly, she added, "T-The tanuki. He shouldn't be moved around while recovering from being sedated…"

The blue-eyed blond looked at her curiously, and turned to the tall one with a furrowed brow. "Mori-sempai?"

A crease formed in the giant's forehead and as a slight frown tugged at his lips. Zenmyo flinched visibly as his grip on the tanuki visibly tightened. The childlike one frowned briefly at her before his face split in an adorably goofy smile, leaping up onto the broad shoulders with surprising agility.

"Ne, Takashi, since she's the one who put Pome to sleep in the first place, shouldn't she know what to do when he wakes up?"

The giant—Mori? Takashi?—blinked, face clearing in comprehension as he nodded slowly. "Aa."

After shooting a slightly concerned look at Zenmyo as she flinched again at the deep rumble, the boy launched himself off her attacker's shoulders, disappearing with a cry, "Let's put Pome on the couch! Usa-chan will keep him company."

The object of Zenmyo's terror followed obediently. The tied girl almost collapsed while still in the chair, if that was even possible, when every tensed muscle in her body relaxed in sudden relief. She didn't notice the raised eyebrow from the glasses boy, instead focusing on the blond, who had stepped forward.

To Zenmyo's astonishment and discomfort, he bent courteously in a low bow, looking up sultrily at her from under his eyelashes. "Hello. My name is Suoh Tamaki, king of the Host Club. May I have your name?"

What's a Host Club? She could feel her ears turn red as she stared stupidly at him. Dumbfounded, she opened her mouth automatically, but hesitated when she abruptly remembered the bullying her odd name had gotten her. After a few second's furious debating with herself, she decided to tell them the truth.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. "Z-Zenmyo. Yuhi Zenmyo."

Even if her eyes had been open, she probably wouldn't have noticed the suddenly stiff posture of the glasses-wearing boy or seen the sudden increase in speed of the pen scratching at the little black notebook he held out of sight.

"Zenmyo, huh?"

"The name of a goddess."

"That's a strange name—"

"—For one so plain."

She let out her breath in a resigned sigh at that and opened her eyes, only to jerk back with a stifled shriek. The twins had apparently shoved Tamaki aside to appear right in front of her and both leaned in uncomfortably close. Their identical suspicious expressions unnerved her even more.

"Hikaru, Kaoru!" Tamaki protested, waving his hands wildly. "That's not how you treat a lady!"

"But she's not a lady." The orange-haired twin said flatly.

"She's obviously a commoner, and a dangerous one at that." The black haired one interjected smugly. "She brought a gun to school. A gun, milord."

Tamaki hesitated, and Zenmyo's heart plummeted in her chest. The girl stepped forward, but the boy with the black notebook pinned her in place with a quick glance.

"So, Zen-chan." The black-haired twin leaned in close from the right, eyes narrowed and hard despite the friendly honorific. "What are you doing here?"

She leapt desperately at the opportunity to explain herself, nervously licking her dry lips. "I-I'm a volunteer at the animal rescue clinic on the other side of town…a-and I got a call about a wild tanuki from a nurse at this school." Tears of anxiety and confusion began to well up in her eyes, but she suppressed them in favor of anger. "I was trying to catch it so we could release it back into the wild! I didn't know it had an owner! And the nurse was so…so…" She bit her trembling lower lip.

A smooth, calm voice came from the glasses boy, and Zenmyo gladly looked away from the accusing glares from the twins to look at him. She immediately looked away again, averting her eyes to her lap. His eyes were calculating and emitted a kind of cold annoyance.

"Do you know this nurse's name, Yuhi-san?"

Frantically, she searched her memory. "M-Matsuo."

Briefly, he gave her a flat, assessing stare before penning something down in the notebook. Zenmyo eyed it, faintly curious before suddenly the black-haired twin was in front of her again, an impish grin on his face.

"Ne, Zen-chan~" He drawled her name in a manner horribly reminiscent of Nodoka. "Would you be interested in selling us one of those tranquilizer guns?"

The orange-haired twin slid up next to him, picking up the conversation with almost unnatural ease. "Haruhi is getting better at escaping us."

They both directed a mischievous look at the brown-haired girl, who countered with a casually deadpan expression that Zenmyo found herself envying fiercely. "Don't even think about it," she stated flatly.

Zenmyo heard Tamaki gasp dramatically, running over to Haruhi and moving to grab her in a protective hug while glaring malevolently at the twins. "Don't worry Haruhi, I'll protect you from those evil ruffians!"

Haruhi reacted in a way that Zenmyo would have found hilarious in a better situation, automatically shooting a hand out to connect with Tamaki's chin, holding him back while his arms strained uselessly to reach her as his head was craned back. Instantly, he disappeared, only to reappear hunching dejectedly in a corner, picking at something.

Are those…mushrooms? Bewildered, Zenmyo glanced from Tamaki to Haruhi, who seemed entirely unconcerned about the whole thing. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her face, and she jerked her head to see the black-haired twin again.

"So how about it, Zen-chan?" His hand slipped under her chin, tilting her head up to meet his eyes.

Zenmyo cringed away from him, her face burning at the proximity before she became abruptly aware that the orange-haired one was on her left, his hand on her arm while leaning closer as well. Terrified, confused beyond all belief and horribly embarrassed, she attempted bring her hands up to cover her face, only to be painfully reminded that she was still bound to the chair. This final reminder of her captivity was all that she could take. She started to cry.

These weren't the little whimpers and quiet keening she was used to, but great hysterical wracking sobs that hurt her stomach and turned her face a bright blotchy red. The twins jerked away as she wrenched her legs free from their bonds, leaving bleeding welts in her ankles to bring them up to her face, shielding her face from view as she continued to cry. Tears ran from her eyes in streams onto her bare knees, turning the dirt caked on them from her fall earlier to mud that smeared her face. She shut down, blocking out the world around her. Even when her arms were unbound, they hung limply at her sides, ignoring the hands that frantically shook her sore shoulders, tugged at her legs until they eventually left her alone to cry herself out.

And she did, coming back to herself with a sniffle and finding herself in the same room, though curled on the floor with Haruhi kneeling beside her, rubbing her back comfortingly in smooth, rhythmic strokes. Her ankles had been bandaged and her face wiped clean of dirt. Haruhi leaned over her worriedly, handing her a cool, soft handkerchief to dry her tears.

She hiccupped as she slowly calmed down, giving Haruhi a sheepish, grateful smile as she sat up. "T-Thank you."

Haruhi smiled back, soft brown eyes warm as she watched Zenmyo wipe her glasses off. "It's fine. Are you okay now?"

"Yeah." Zenmyo let out a heavy sigh, feeling exhausted while wiping roughly at her eyes, shuffling clumsily to sit with her legs crossed. "Just a little scared and overwhelmed."

Haruhi nodded sympathetically. "I know what you mean. They're good guys, but they really don't know how to react around girls who aren't customers."

Zenmyo placed her glasses back on her nose, and blinked rapidly as the other girl came into focus. "Your name is Haruhi, right? Who are they?"

"Oh! That's right." Haruhi tapped her fist against her hand in an adorable gesture of realization. "We never told you our names, well, except for Tamaki-sempai." Briefly, she shook her head in disapproval. "They really could've handled this better."

Zenmyo shook her head, self-consciously smoothing her light brown hair—messy again, she noted with displeasure. "To them, it must have looked like I killed the poor thing. Does…" She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "Does Pome belong to that…tall boy?"

Haruhi nodded, noting the sudden tension in Zenmyo's fragile frame with some concern. "Yes. His name is Morinozuka Takashi, but we all just call him Mori. He's quiet and doesn't talk much." She quickly moved on. "The one with the pink bunny is Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but he tells everyone to call him Hunny. He's Mori's cousin and they're always together. He's older than Mori, though." Her eyes seemed distant for a minute before snapping back to the present, giving Zenmyo a surprisingly sweet smile. "You'd never know it, huh?"

"No…" Zenmyo replied slowly, thinking back on the shrewd look in Hunny's liquid brown eyes. I knew there was something about him…

"The twins are the Hitachiin brothers, Hikaru and Kaoru. Hikaru's the black-haired one." She shook her head wistfully at some past memory. "Tricksters, both of them. Watch out for them."

Zenmyo smiled weakly, flushing lightly. "You don't have to tell me twice."

"Ootori Kyoya is the one with the glasses and black hair. He's the Vice President of the Host Club, but he's the real brain that runs the Club. He's the only reason we have the money to keep it running." She grinned slightly. "I call him the Shadow King. He likes to pretend he's an egoist, but deep down…" She hesitated. "Really deep down, he's kind."

"And Tamaki?"

"He's an idiot." Haruhi supplied promptly.

For the first time that day, Zenmyo laughed. She laughed in her typical open fashion, mouth grinning and head thrown back. Haruhi giggled slightly along with her, though it was clear that she really didn't know why it was so funny; she'd just been telling the truth.

As she calmed, Zenmyo blinked as she remembered the question she'd wondered earlier. "Haruhi, what is the Host Club?"

"A club here at Ouran that has the seven of us entertain the girls of the school. I'm in it because I broke a vase worth eight million yen and had to work it off." Zenmyo instinctively flinched at the amount, and Haruhi gave her a cynical smile. "Yeah, I know. Over the last year or so, I've managed to work off most of it." Haruhi looked equal parts exasperated and proud of this.

Zenmyo suddenly felt her lids drop over her eyes, a light wave of dizziness passing through her. She'd had enough for the day. "Uh, Haruhi? I don't mean to be rude, but may I go back to the clinic? I need to get back to work."

Haruhi jolted, looking startled. "That's right! You have to go back soon. But the others will want explanations…" She frowned thoughtfully, seeing the despair and alarm on Zenmyo's face. "I could explain for you, but—"

She was cut off as Zenmyo enfolded her in a light hug before leaning heavily against her shoulder. "I'd really…appreciate it."

Alarmed, Haruhi stiffened as the larger girl suddenly dropped her full weight on her shoulder. "Zenmyo?"

Zenmyo buried her head into Haruhi's small shoulder, slightly ashamed of her weakness, feeling guiltier as she felt Haruhi's concerned hand on her arm. "I'm sorry, Haruhi. Just a little tired."

"This isn't normal, is it?"

"For me it is. I'm fine."

Haruhi looked shrewdly at her for a long moment before looking off to the side, seemingly speaking to no one. "I can keep secrets, but you don't have to tell me. I'm not going to interrogate you, and if you need someone to listen, I'm here."

"…Thank you." Warmly, Zenmyo smiled, both at Haruhi's honesty and the fact she could feel strength trickling slowly back into her limbs. "But why?"

Haruhi shrugged. "I feel like I have to make it up to you. You were just doing your job and I didn't try to stop them from tying you up. Being your friend is the least I could do."

A sharp inhale. Zenmyo caught Haruhi's brown eyes with her own vivid green. "A friend? We're…friends?" Her voice was soft and filled with a longing that made Haruhi's chest clench briefly.

Haruhi stared briefly, taken aback by the hope in her voice. "Of course you're my friend. We're getting along, aren't we?"

"C-Can I…come back to see you?"

"If you'd like."

Slowly, Zenmyo's lips turned upward in a wide smile. "Alright!" Reaching out, she clasped Haruhi's lower arms gently. "Friends!"

Grinning slightly, Haruhi gripped back. "Friends."

A/N: Well? How'd I do?

Signing out,

Dragon of Twilight!