Updated: 7/3/2013

Episode One- Host Club Dogs

Chapter 3: Suspicious Bitchess

Haruhi's hour had arrived and she was booked to entertain three customers on her own. Kagura-hime, Kurekano-hime, and Amikusa-hime sat at the cozy table with bright expressions as Haruhi tried to pull herself together. Kagura, who had chin length brown hair and a more relaxed air spoke first, "Haruhi-kun, do you have any hobbies?"

Kurekano's hair was much longer and a richer color of brown. She had a cuter nature and it showed in her fun, pointy eared hair style, "Do you use anything special on your skin?"

Amikusa looked the the youngest and her hair was the darkest, pulled back in a simple style, "Its terribly pretty," she smiled.

"Haruhi-kun, why did you join this club?" they asked together.

Toru leaned against a column, her eyes closed as she listened. Kyoya stood beside her in the open, facing the same direction. Neither of them needed to watch the scene to observe it. Tamaki was kneeling backwards on the couch, looking over the back, by the prissy girl, his eyes locked on Haruhi. The twins knelt behind the couch, faces making sad little expressions as Haruhi began her story. It was the story of losing her mother and how she wanted to one day be a lawyer just like her. Of how she took care of the chores and made food for her father. The girls sighed in worry, blushed in admiration, and were completely entrapped in the rookie host's touching tale.

Tamaki began, "He's popular."

The twins continued, "Right from the start, no help needed."

Toru yawned slightly and rolled her eyes, playing their dumb game, "As long as he isn't stressed, Haruhi actually has a pretty magnetic personality." She crossed her arms over her chest, "There's a charming...direct way about Haruhi that just grounds you when you're feeling lost," her voice was soft and filled with admiration. Her eyes flickered to the side when Kyoya made a note in his book. Something about the movement made her finger tips trail up the edge of her hood, absently making sure her expression was covered.

"Tamaki-sama..." Prissy girl interrupted the momentary silence, reminding the pouting blonde of her presence.

"Huh?" Tamaki looked over and you could practically see the question mark floating over his head. He realized he'd forgotten about his guest and turned up the sparkle, "I'm sorry, Hime-sama, I'm just concerned about my boy."

Toru walked across the edge of their section to the next column over and leaned against it. From there she could easily see their expressions while keeping her own attention hidden. She was visible to most of the room, so anyone else that needed her would be able to find her and yet if she wanted to avoid notice she could slip away. "You seem to be keeping an eye on that one quite a bit," the girl's expression had a hint of playful teasing, as if she were ribbing Tamaki for doing something mildly foolish. "That's because I'm raising him as if he were my own," Tamaki snapped his fingers, "Haruhi! Come here for a minute."

When the rookie was standing beside them, Tamaki began his introduction, "Say hello. This is my regular guest Ayanokoji," the blond was too busy watching Haruhi to see that his companion didn't even bother to look over. Ayanokoji's face was forward, her eyes were closed.

The slight pause in Haruhi's countenance confirmed that she'd recognized this customer as the rude girl from earlier. She smiled and greeted the prissy girl with warmth, "Its a pleasure to meet you." It was a smooth recovery, one that made Tamaki lose his marbles.

The Host prince practically teleported to Haruhi. He had her in a headlock, her face pressed firmly against his chest. Tamaki was flushed with pride and admiration, "That was so cute, Haruhi!" He squealed, reminiscent of Honey.

Ayanokoji was shocked, her hands limp in her lap, eyes wide, lips pursed. It was as if she'd just watched her idol pick his nose in the middle of afternoon tea. Tamaki began to spin Haruhi around in a circle, his close embrace suffocating and dizzying, "That air of bashfulness was good, good, very good!"

Toru watched as Ayanokoji seemed to snap out of her catatonic state, "T-tamaki-sama..." she put her hand up in a stop motion, as if it could somehow end the spectacle before her.

Tamaki ignored her, and addressed Haruhi's protests, "I'm not letting you go!" he squealed giddily.

He wasn't being perverted, Toru saw him as more of an over enthusiastic puppy; something Haruhi didn't need her help for. Haruhi changed tactics, "Mori-senpai! Help!"

Grinning, Toru looked over to see what the senior would do. His face changed from its passive expression briefly. She was suddenly looking into the eyes of a mighty warrior, scandalized by the cries of a damsel in distress. There was a ferociousness she hadn't expected, with all the intensity of a dragon's fiery gaze, but then it was gone and so was he. In a movement nearly too quick to follow he was standing before them, Tamaki at his feet, and lifting Haruhi safely into the air. There was a spark of knowing in his eyes and a very faint blush warmed his cheeks. If there were any questions in his mind about Haruhi's gender, the truth had just been revealed to him.

Mori held Haruhi at arm's length above his head, her feet were dangling at least four feet off the floor. Tamaki stood up and dusted himself off, looking quite shell-shocked, "Mori-senpai, you didn't have to go that far." Mori just seemed to stare for a moment as the knowledge sunk in.

The resilient Prince type recovered quickly, "Come on, come back next to Daddy's heart!"

Toru would have burst into laughter then, but movement caught her attention. Ayanokoji slowly turned her head towards Tamaki and the others, the expression on her face meant trouble. Her displeasure was evident in the downward slash of her mouth, her eyes had taken on a deadened quality that made her seem capable of anything. She had an intense predatory focus and it was all narrowed in on Haruhi's back.

A challenging rumble stirred in Toru's chest. Her hackles were up, lips drawn back to reveal white canines. She knew that she'd just gained a new enemy. Anyone that would stand against Haruhi had to get through her first. She turned her face away, missing the cold gray gaze that locked on her next.

Toru wasn't always a sweet girl. She had been wild and fierce once. That had been another life. Here and now, she was just a normal girl. She spent her time trying to play with Haruhi, pestering Rankapoppa, and procrastinating from her studies in new and exciting ways. Thoughts of her past lurked in the deep of her mind and rarely surfaced, but it seemed that some training was deeply ingrained. When her face impacted with the unforgiving marble of the wall, muscle memory and instinct kicked in.

Her vision focused, she was standing in a defensive position, her face protected by up-drawn fists waiting to strike. She could hear the sound of running from the hall above her and knew that her attacker was getting away. The instinct to give chase was just not there. Toru listened to the ensuing silence and slumped down the wall, right in the middle of the landing.

Her adrenalin burned empty and pain over took her senses. There were a number of bruises where she'd tumbled down the stairs. The most pressing concern was the eye she couldn't quite focus, followed by the bloody taste in her mouth. For a moment, she thought she would vomit.

It had been a long time since violence had met her so closely, its penetration in her life left her feeling raw and ashamed. Her hands were shaking as her fingers prodded along various aches and pains in attempt to gauge the damage. The scuffle hadn't been bad, one never really enjoyed being jumped in a deserted hallways, but Toru felt fully capable of dealing with that situation. Getting your shit kicked down a staircase wasn't something one could prepare for.

"Well, well, what's this," Toru froze. She didn't have to look up to recognize the voice, or the identical one that followed, "Are you okay?" Two hands appeared in her vision and she took their offered help. They pulled her up and dizzyness overwhelmed her strength. She slumped forward, onto them. They were much shorter, but together, the twins managed to catch her and hold her steady.

"Toru, what happened!" Hikaru's reaction was a touch less composed than Kaoru's. Having a girl in such a state, pressed up against him was not ideal and it was quite apparent to Toru that the notion had never occurred to him. The twins each had one arm around her and the other around each other in a three person hug. "I think we need to get her to the nurse," Kaoru suggested.

"How are we supposed to get here there?" Hikaru thought of the long path, they were standing on the landing near the top floor. There was no way they could carry her, she was much too large. "Should we take her to the club room and text someone?" Kaoru offered.

"Yes, take me there please, but don't bother anyone else. I'll be fine, I just need to catch my breath," Toru panted.

There was a strangled noise and one of them growled, "Says the girl bleeding on my jacket."

Anger helped clear her mind. She drew up, looking into two pairs of concerned eyes. "I'm fine," she ground out and started to pull away.

"Calm down. We'll go to the club room." They let her free, but did not move away. She watched as their faces went blank and knew they were plotting something.

Toru turned and walked up the stairs. The process was slow, she leaned heavily on the rail and had to stop occasionally as her focus swam. It occurred to her that the twins were standing just behind her, probably in case she started to tip over. She managed to make it up the last turn and down the hallway without incident, though, and was ordered to sit on one of the plush couches. No one would be back here during lunch time, so it was unlikely to cause a scene.

The twins disappeared into the kitchen area. Alone, Toru emptied the pocket on her hoodie before peeling it off. She stood there, vulnerable, in a form fitting tank-top and bland grey jeans as she folded the oversized article of clothing. She could feel a painful bruise under her bust from the edges of the books she'd been carrying in her front pouch, fortunately, they protected her stomach from becoming one big bruise. A fist sized area on the top of her left shoulder was black and she couldn't touch it without the wounded flesh protesting sharply. Her mouth hurt, a quick check with her tongue revealed her teeth were fine, but her lip was a painful, bloody mess that she avoided from then on. Her sight was fine now; though, she was careful not to turn suddenly or the room would begin to spin again. She sat very slowly and gently pulled her hairband loose, a fully realized ache pounding in the back of her eye sockets.

"So what happened?" Kaoru, she guessed, based on the part of his hair. They had entered the room quietly and unnoticed.

She felt exposed, unable to run away, blend into the crowd, or hide within the depths of her hoodie. She wondered when this had become the norm, when she'd become a coward who hid. Anger filled her veins, her lips began to draw back in a sneer, but sharp pain and blood trickling down her chin made her take a deep breath and start again. "I lost a fight." A bold, naked statement.

"What?" the twins exclaimed in unison. At first they looked shocked, scandalized almost, and then they were very close to her suddenly, making her head spin. She involuntarily covered her mouth in case she got sick. There was one on each side of her, fussing over her. It reminded her of a time they'd done something similar to Haruhi for being cute, though this was driven by concern as they assured themselves of her health and she was truly touched. "We'll kill them!" they began. "You really should go to the nurse," one started, "I'll go get one," the other finished, "Your mouth is still bleeding," the first spoke again, "Her eyes unfocused again!" the other persisted.

The movement, the sound, the pressure, it was too much. She felt like she was going to start dry retching then and there. I will not! It was an angry growl of a declaration from her sense of pride.

"I would very much like to know the circumstances that brought you to your current state," Kyoya's cool voice sent a chill down her spine.

Those mischievous brats. Toru sighed and shut her eyes, covering her face with her hands. She didn't have the strength to put up a mental defense for a verbal dance with Kyoya. When she didn't answer, she heard foot steps draw near and the twins backed away. He tugged at her hands and she didn't resist, nor did she shirk away as he tilted her chin up.

Hazel eyes were frozen in place by frosty gray ones, "I'm waiting," he released her from his gaze, but did not remove himself from her space. It was then she noticed a first aid kit in his other hand.

She glanced at the twins in askance, but Kyoya was having none of it, "Its a reasonable question, you know." He sat on a chair across from her, kit open on the table. He pulled gloves onto his hands with a snap. "Fighting on school campus is strictly prohibited." His touch was clinical as he checked over the obvious bruises and scrapes, but this close to him, Toru instinctively felt the anger he didn't allow to affect his countenance.

"Kyoya-kun..." his fingers paused the exploration of her sharply sensitive left shoulder, "are you...angry with me?"

The boy leaned back slightly, his hand retreating to his face were he adjusted his glasses, light glared back from his lenses. "Not particularly," he was in control again and the moment passed before he was examining her shoulder once more. Toru glanced at the Twins, who were watching them from the couch on the other side of the table. "However, if you get expelled if will be much harder to pay back your debt." The dark haired girl sweat-dropped. She knew he was serious, but it seemed like he was teasing her, like a jab in the face to distract her from that line of thought. "I'm still waiting," his voice held a more authoritative note this time, "I won't even add the medical care to your debt if you hurry."

A statement like that would have made Haruhi faint, but it made Toru grin. It was a bruised, wet grin and she felt her lower lip protest with dripping blood. Kyoya cleaned it with a cold, stingy cotton ball. The twins had helped her, Kyoya was cleaning her wounds. No one was yelling or looking at her like a monster. Kyoya was even using his own brand of humor to coax her into cooperation. It cheered her spirit. "I left my phone in here yesterday, so I came by to pick it up," she began.

"I was heading back down to meet Haruhi. I like to pop in and visit her for lunch sometim-ah!" it ended in a yelp when Kyoya suddenly rotated her left arm, one hand over her shoulder as he tested the movement. The way his eyes flickered to hers was like a command to continue. She gulped and looked away, letting him finish, "A-anyways, someone jumped me."

He let go of her shoulders and turned her face to examine her mouth. His gloved finger was gentle as he flipped her lip down and examined the inside. The fingertip was slick with red when he removed it, "I take it, then, that you do not know who attacked you?"

Toru shook her head and then winced at her mistake when the room seemed to start floating. "No, it was a sneak attack from behind. I'm sure it was a male, though," he noticed that her smirk was vicious as she remembered a particularly good elbow to the groin, "and his face was covered by a mask of some sort. I didn't really recognize it though." Her hands were bandaged last, knuckles torn from violent use. Finished, he stood, freeing her. She leaned back into the cushion of the chair, relishing her newly acquired space. "I gave better than I got," she rested her head on her hand, a dull ache told her she'd probably have a very noticeable bruise across her cheek bone. "I'm sure he'll be quite colorful tomorrow. What screwed me was getting my ass judo tossed down the stairs."

Kyoya's hand was at his face again, adjusting his glasses, "Excuse me?"

Toru just nodded, "I'm the only fighter in the history of my family whose kryptonite is judo throws. Its embarrassing."

The twins looked a little stunned at the information, "So, you're saying you were doing okay," one started, "but because you happened to be too close to the stairs, you lost," the other finished.

Toru nodded again, "I was supposed to start training last year, but after my injury and, well, other circumstances, I haven't had the chance yet." There was more silence.

After a few awkward moments, Kyoya adjusted his glasses again, "I see." The first aid kit was put away, the mess already cleaned up. There was a lot to absorb from everything she'd revealed and he seemed intent on examining it thoroughly when the time came. This girl raised a lot of questions and he felt very overdue for some answers.

"Kaoru, Hikaru, go see if the Black Magic club has a cloak to spare. Toru-chan, you're lip is going to need stitches. I'm going to have a car take you to my family's urgent care center. You will go, get whatever treatment the doctor says you need and then you will return here, understand?" The twins were gone before he'd finished talking to the girl in front of him.

Toru gazed back up at him impassively, "That sounds expensive."

Kyoya smirked, "As long as you follow my instructions you won't be charged...yet."

Toru's laugh came out as a grunted "Heh."

As they waited to for the twin's to return, Toru glanced up at Kyoya, "Hey...why are you being so nice?"

It was impossible to look into his eyes when his glasses lenses were glaring like that, "I don't know what you mean, Toru-chan." He had that black note book out, the scritch-scritching of his pen a soft whisper, "If the Host club's Inu-chan is out of commission I'll need to keep more of Haruhi's schedule free to pick up your slack."

Toru wanted to grin, but she also didn't want more blood dribbling down her chin, so instead she just rolled her eyes, "Now I know you're just screwing with me." He tapped his pen against his note book twice before he continued writing, smirk firmly in place.

When the twins returned, cloak in hand, Kyoya closed his note book and placed it under his arm, "You can wear the cloak, that way we're not stopped in the halls. I'll notify your teachers that you'll be missing the rest of the day. We will walk you down to the car, it's on the way to the cafeteria anyway."

Toru put on the cloak, "Thanks, by the way. To all of you," her voice was sincere. For so long now, Haruhi had been her only ally and while these boys may not be her friends yet, it was good to know they cared.

As Kyoya watched the limo pull away he skimmed his notes and began organizing a list. First, he needed to decide how to handle the situation with Toru, not exactly for her sake, but for their reputation. After all, someone had attacked a Host Club subordinate and that couldn't be tolerated. Second, he needed to make a trip the the record archives and find out just what exactly had been withheld from her file the first time he'd run her background check. Having examined her so closely, the Ootori was positive that Fujioka Toru was not a full blooded national. Her eyes were foreign and nothing like Haruhi's. The most curious bit of information he'd received was that while Haruhi had a full scholarship, Toru's tuition was paid in full. It was a situation that very much peaked the Shadow King's interest.

A/N: Don't forget to let me know what you thought about this chapter!