A/N: I changed the summary. Please let me know what you think in the comments. :)
Episode One: The Softer Side
Toru leaned back in her chair, confusion plainly evident on her face. Kyoya pressed on, "Your "duties" would be to keep the girls entertained while they wait for their time slot. Your goal is to keep them excited, rather than charm them, per se. You will, of course, need to meet our standards of conduct and appearance."
Toru had the feeling yellow silk was in her future, though it didn't particularly bother her. "So socialize and have fun with the customers?" She questioned. It was exactly the opposite of what she had set out to do with her time at Ouran.
"While it may work out in your favor, keep in mind first and foremost that they are here to have a good time and we are here to ensure that. Think of yourself as my public relations liaison." Kyoya adjusted his glasses, sending a glare her way, "Your duties won't start until your arm is healed."
There was silence as Toru absorbed her new status and its implications. She couldn't fathom how he'd come to the conclusion that such a task would be in her skill set. She'd never once shown a proclivity for socializing with students before. She needed time to weigh her options.
Her phone went off in Kaoru's hand suddenly, he cracked up and Hikaru leaned over to look, "Haha, your phone says its time to visit candy mountain."
Honey got really excited, "I want to go to candy mountain!"
Toru chuckled, happy to be distracted from Kyoya's announcement, and opened her pill bottles, "Sorry Honey, it's not really candy mountain, but I did visit there after the doc gave me the first dose..." snickering, she took the recommended amount. "Apparently I have a strong reaction to these, so I'm going to take a nap in about thirty minutes. My dignity is safer that way." This seemed to spark some interest in the Twins. Honey beamed with an amused look. Toru paused suddenly, "How in hell am I getting home?"
Honey bounced in place, "With me and Takeshi! We'll take you and Haruhi home after club."
Tamaki looked ready to pout, but Toru cut him off, "Aww, thanks Honey-chan!" She looked across at Kyoya. "I need to ask you a favor."
He smirked and adjusted his glasses, "I'm listening."
Toru looked him straight in the eyes, "It would be in our best interest if you made a phone call for me."
The Shadow King smirked, "I've already taken care of it."
Toru's eyebrow quirked, but then she grinned and shook her head, "Kyoya-kun, you really are amazing. You will probably rule the world one day." Toru was just happy she didn't have to break the news of her injuries to Rankapoppa. Kyoya would have more tact at such a feat than Toru could ever manage, and maybe now the man wouldn't have a panic attack when he saw her.
"If that's all, we can adjourn for today," Kyoya looked over to Tamaki who nodded.
Toru held up her hand, "It's been a while, yeah? Shouldn't Haruhi be back by now?"
The twins shrugged, "Maybe he skipped today?"
Toru took a sip of her newly refilled tea, courtesy of Mori, "Are there any tests coming up in your class?" She could envision Haruhi wandering off in search of a quieter place to study.
They shrugged, "Nothing especially important." Hikaru had gone back to his PSP, Kaoru was leaning against him watching. They seemed bored with their favorite plaything missing, and while they loved to tease Toru when the chance arose, she was too injured to withstand their exhausting attention.
"If he doesn't show up in ten minutes, I'll go look for him," Tamaki offered happily. The thought of some alone time with his cute little son made him cheerful. It was hard to tell , the blonde prince was always a little bit on the cracked side, but he certainly seemed more apt to squealing when it came to Haruhi.
"Check the libraries," Toru mused. Haruhi would probably imagine even the noisy library to be less troublesome than the twins and Tamaki together. The thought made her grin a little. They might be disruptive, but they were good for the younger girl. Haruhi needed a little more spark in her life and Toru couldn't always be the one to ignite it.
Then she stiffened suddenly, "You think Haruhi's okay, right?" The others seemed to catch onto what she was thinking and tensed. Toru had been surprise attacked when she was alone earlier that very day, was it possible that Haruhi had met the same fate? The thought made her blood run cold. Haruhi was so little, so petite, she was even less capable of defending herself than Toru.
Once again, Kyoya showed how many steps ahead of everyone else he was. "Don't worry, if Haruhi were in danger we would already know." He adjusted his glasses, his posture bordering on cocky. Toru didn't know if Kyoya actually had Haruhi tailed, but she got the distinct impression that if he wanted to know what the freshmen was up to, a quick call would remedy the situation. She didn't have much time to think the matter over or be impressed by her classmate's forethought because her mind was beginning to feel uncooperative and sluggish.
Toru lost focus as the room seemed to blur a little and change. Tamaki was gone now. Kyoya had moved to his desk and was probably balancing their budget. The twins were both playing games, Kaoru had the PSP and from the sound of things Hikaru was playing Amateur Surgeon on her phone. Honey was staring down a huge piece of chocolate cake. Mori was reading in the same spot he'd been in before.
She suddenly felt like she had no strength, like the weight of it had bled through her fingertips and left her dizzy with emptiness. It felt like forever before her mouth could form the words and even then, they came out hushed and slurred, "Take Usa." Mori leaned over and grabbed the bunny from the crook of her arm, handing it to Honey. The others hadn't seemed to notice her quiet struggle.
Everyone was shocked when Mori lunged forward suddenly. The sound of a tea cup shattering broke the calm atmosphere. Mori crouched in front of Toru who was kind of slumped over him. "Gomennn..." she drawled out, but she didn't move. Her face was pressed into Mori's shoulder.
Kyoya was standing behind Mori, reading the labels on Toru's pill bottles. "Is that a normal reaction?" Kaoru questioned. The Twins leaned over. Hikaru switched off her phone and laid it by her medicine.
"Jusss...need nap," Her voice was muffled, her face still pressed into Mori's shoulder, "Be okay." The thick, slow quality of her speech certainly made her sound heavily drugged.
Kyoya looked at Mori. The senior nodded and lifted her up bridal style. Kyoya whipped out his phone. "I'll alert the urgent care facility and arrange for Haruhi to get home on her own."
Takashi was an instinctual person. That was why he had been named the Wild type. His loyalty and devotion to Mitsukuni were the driving force in his life, the anchor that kept him steady. Caring for Mitsukuni was his purpose and he was backed by generations of tradition. There weren't many things a Morinozuka could hide from a Haninozuka, just as there was little that Mitsukuni could hide from Takashi. Right now, every instinct in Takashi's body told him that Mitsukuni was growing attached to the girl at his side. Takashi didn't need a reason beyond that to help her, though there certainly were other reasons that supported his decision. He was raised to be a gentleman and knew there was honor in helping a damsel in distress, it didn't hurt that Toru was fond of Mitsukuni and Haruhi was so charming.
In general he wasn't one to over-think things, but in quiet moments like these, when Mitsukuni was brooding, he put his mind to the task of figuring out how to ease the smaller senior's troubles. Right now, the source of the trouble was 100% Fujioka Toru. It wasn't the first time he'd seen Mitsukuni's eyes dim or his smile falter over the girl.
Takashi was still in a state of mild shock over the fact that "Inu-chan" was actually a pretty girl named Toru. The memory brought an embarrassed blush up across his nose. In a way it all made sense, Honey was so fond of cute things, but Takashi had never felt more shocked than when his eyes had caught sight of her wearing that rather provocative shirt. He'd been expecting to see an overweight teenage boy and instead he got...Toru. She'd just looked up at him nonchalantly, not a care in those exotic eyes of hers. His image of Fujioka Toru had been irrevocably changed.
It began the moment she walked up, called Mitsukuni a Cutie Pie, and gave him a chocolate Usa-sucker. Takashi had seen Toru around before. She snuck along the edges of the crowd in that pink hoodie (with the school emblem) that matched the walls of every building on campus. She hadn't spoken. She had never made a fuss. She hadn't done anything noteworthy, so like everyone else, he'd let her slip into the background noise of the school. Then out of nowhere Toru showed up in their club room. She came in with Haruhi and actually interacted with Mitsukuni. She soothed him.
There was something about Toru that set her apart from Honey's fawning guests. She was every bit as affectionate as Honey was. They both cooed over the same cute things, and most importantly, they provoked a sense of playfulness in each other. They were always randomly pouncing on each other, playing games, cracking terrible jokes and laughing wildly after. Toru's reactions were instant and sincere, though this was a side of her that she rarely shared with the others. Even the two seniors had only caught glimpses of this behavior before Toru seemed to remember herself and hide away once more. With Kyoya, the twins, and even with Haruhi, she was composed, reserved, and seemed to think before acting.
Toru was hiding something. The seniors and Kyoya all knew there was more to this girl than she let on. She wore a mask, but Takashi had a feeling that what he and Mitsukuni saw was closer to the real Toru. "Why would she hide her happy self away?" Mitsukuni's question echoed in his mind. It was a puzzle that the blonde had mentioned several times over the last week. It was something that provoked Takashi's own, more tame curiosity. Something was just off about the girl.
"Takashi," the little senior's softly spoken voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Do you think she'll be alright?"
Takashi looked over and the girl who was sleeping peacefully, her head lolled over just enough to rest on his shoulder. He couldn't see her wounds from this angle, just the top of her head and those funny puppy buns she'd put her hair in. The trip to the Urgent Care center had been rather short. The doctor assured them that she'd had a similar reaction earlier and that she'd be fine. Still, if his friend needed extra reassurance he was capable of complying, "Ah."
Mitsukuni smiled slightly, his expressive eyes sliding over to the girl. "MMA," he mused, "I'd have never guessed. She's only shown interest in cute things." Hugging Usa-chan close, he glanced back at Takashi, "She let slip a secret today, did you notice?"
Takashi thought back to his interactions with her. He'd served her refreshments during the meeting. It was silly for her to try on her own with one arm in a sling. It didn't seem like she was used to being taken care of. She'd looked tired, sore, and just a little out of it. It made sense that she might have let something slip in the haze that seemed to cloud her. Focusing more on what she'd said, rather than what she'd done, it took him half a minute to realize what Mitsukuni's ever observant nature had picked up on. The answer hadn't come directly from Toru's mouth, but through the Twins instead.
Toru had started to doze off just before Tamaki wandered away to find Haruhi. The twins spoke about how they found her on the stairwell and what she'd told them afterward when Kyoya patched her up. It was clear that they were half impressed and half exasperated with her. Hikaru had mimicked her voice as he recited some of the more interesting bits.
"What screwed me was getting my ass judo tossed down the stairs. I'm the only fighter in the history of my family whose kryptonite is judo throws."
It hit him like a shinai to the skull. According to what they knew about Haruhi she didn't have fighters in her family, but more importantly Haruhi didn't even have much of a family history. It was just her, her dad, and Toru of course. On the other hand, the twins' statement, suggested that Toru's family was different. "Ah," he confirmed.
"Lets invite Toru over to spar," the little blonde's smile blossomed as he squeezed Usa-chan. "We can make sure her takedown defense doesn't get her tossed down the stairs again," his voice was still enthusiastic, but Takashi didn't miss the concerned edge. "I wonder if we'll recognize her fighting style," he mused. Takashi watched the dreamy look take over Mitsukuni's countenance, the blonde's posture relaxing slightly. It didn't escape the tall senior's notice that every time those honey eyes strayed to Toru's injuries, his face grew anxious once more.
Takashi looked to the girl at his side. She was an entertaining little mystery in cute wrappings. Mitsukuni wasn't one to deny himself the things he wanted and this secretive little girl was, for the moment, something the blonde wanted to discover. Takashi couldn't help but wonder what it was about this girl that captivated his friend so easily.
The room seemed to warp again, it was darker now and smelled different. She was leaning to the right, against something warm and decidedly rigid. Her eyes focused. No, not a room, she thought. She was in a car...a limo actually. Toru saw Honey sitting across from her, clutching Usa-chan worriedly, as he watched her back. She'd never seen him with such an expression, though his eyes had hinted at it when he'd discovered her injuries after Tamaki had mistaken her for a customer.
Toru murmured something, but her pillow seemed unhappy about it. She took a deep breath and willed some focus into her thoughts, "Ne, Mitsu-chi, no frownies." It sounded much better in her head. Her tongue felt thick and she knew she was dehydrated. She stared at Honey until he cracked a grin. It wasn't his usual beaming, flower power smile. It was the smile of someone who didn't know if they should be worried, amused, or insulted. She grinned in return. "That's it, happy thoughts."
Honey's expression grew decidedly more amused. She focused on his smile. It and her moody pillow anchored her into reality, "Joke time," she stated softly, "This is one my sister always told me. Wanna know who sucks at Judo?" She paused, grinning slowly, like the Cheshire cat, "J'yoo do." Honey's face warped into stunned disbelief before he burst out giggling at the lame humor. She wasn't sure if the pillow approved.
"You're feeling better," Honey stated.
Toru grinned and shut her eyes, her thoughts were feeling less sluggish. "Still very tired, but I'm okay. We can probably skip the Urgent Care."
Honey grinned and laughed again, "Toru-chan, we were already there! The doctor said to only take half during the day from now on if you want to stay awake."
She blinked at his statement, she must have been really out of it. She also began to notice the person-like qualities of her pillow and straightened up, looking over. Mori gazed back at her placidly. Toru grinned suddenly, the tang of blood sharpened her senses, but the silly thought in her head was too powerful to resist. "Mori-kun, you are the most talkative pillow I've ever had."
Silence.
Honey's laughter filled the air and Toru heard a thud that was probably the little senior falling over in his seat. She was too busy watching the blush crawl over Mori's cheeks. She laughed, "It's not a bad thing you know," she chastised playfully, completely misinterpreting his thoughts. She sat up on her own and smiled sleepily, rubbing her free hand over her face.
"Ne, Toru-chan," she looked over at Honey who was gazing at her happily, "would you like to come train at Takashi's house after you get better? It's hard work, but together it'll be fun!" He had his finger in the air as if making a declaration. She could see a spark of determination behind his enthusiasm.
"Really?" Her excitement at the idea was obvious. Cheeks flushed, her eyes dreamy, it was as if she had learned the host's cute pose technique and flowers sprouted all around her. The boys gave her a thumbs up in response.
She grinned, "That would be awesome," her voice seemed heavier for a moment, like she was battling with a wave of drowsiness. When she spoke again, it was to tease Mori, "Ne, Mori-kun, you shouldn't worry, I promise not to hit you very hard."
The soft noise he made in response may or may not have been a snort. Honey broke out in laughter again and Toru couldn't help but giggle. They settled back into a comfortable quiet and Toru soaked in the peace. She had more allies. Maybe even friends.
Maybe.
Toru didn't know what could have kept Haruhi at school long enough so that the younger girl was walking up to their building as Honey's limo pulled away, but she did notice the younger girl's backpack was dripping wet. What with the difficult task of climbing the stairs in her current state, she decided to save her questions for later. It was a slow process, but she finally made it up to their apartment and Haruhi opened the door for her.
If there was an award for "Most Enthusiastic Parent of the Year" Ranka would hold all the trophies. So when Haruhi arrived with her backpack dripping wet and he got a look at just how swollen poor Toru's face was, he lost his marbles.
Toru found Rankapoppa hard to follow sometimes, but she delighted in the attention, unlike Haruhi who became rather grouchy. Ranka flitted between them like a hummingbird, commenting on Haruhi's damp things and Toru's various injuries. He even managed to sneak in a, "And I told you how lovely you'd look in Chantilly lace. Haruhi, you should take after Toru and wear the top I got you! The color is perfect for your eyes and then my two girls would match!" At that point he imagined the two of them frolicking through a flower field and began to squeal.
Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Knock it off, will you? I need to lay my stuff out to dry and start on dinner." She dodged her father and disappeared into her room.
Ranka watched as Toru eased her own backpack off and carefully maneuvered herself to the floor. She was wincing and holding her palm gently over her ribs by the end of it. "Toru dear, would you like some tea?"
"Yes, Rankapoppa," she smiled at him and he couldn't help but lean over and tug at one of her hair buns playfully. Toru was so different from Haruhi, but it didn't matter, they were both his.
He went to make tea quickly before Haruhi could catch him. He wasn't completely useless in the kitchen, but she'd had to clean up some of his more creative concoctions a few too many times and now she herded him out like a toddler whenever she could. She was so stubborn and independent, never letting him take care of her.
Toru, on the other hand accepted whatever attention he offered. They went shopping together and she enthusiastically participated in some of his wilder schemes at getting a rise out of Haruhi. She was fiercely protective of his little girl. Toru provoked Haruhi into playing with her and Haruhi made sure Toru didn't drift from her school work too often. It was a nice balance.
He heard Haruhi's door slide open and froze. If she came into the kitchen, she would undoubtedly scold him. Instead, he could hear her padding softly towards the table where he knew Toru was sitting. He waited silently.
Ranka's attention perked when their murmuring voices raised slightly. "Urrrrrg!" That frustrated growl had definitely come from the more animated Toru. Haruhi said something in a soothing voice, but it was too quiet to hear.
When the tea kettle started to hiss, he pulled it off the stove before it could make much noise. Tea service in hand he stealthily made his way back, intending to surprise Haruhi with tea and proof that he wouldn't burn the kitchen down. What he heard just before he turned the corner made him raise his eyebrows in surprise.
"But Haruhi, if you don't let me do something, she'll continue to-"
"Shhh, its fine."
The girls caught sight of him and stopped talking. Haruhi looked at him, mildly surprised, her eyes were narrowed at the tea service. Toru's gaze slid back to Haruhi and her lips were pursed, something that probably caused her pain given the stitches he knew were on the inside of her lip.
Haruhi spoke first, her voice flat, "If I go into the kitchen, am I going to find everything strewn about the counters?"
Ranka sweatdropped. He had, in fact, forgotten to put everything away. Wait, did I turn off the burner? He moved to intercept Haruhi as she got up and instead handed her the tray. "I decided we're having take out, so make sure Toru drinks some tea and then why don't you order for us!" He chirped before disappearing back to the kitchen.
Haruhi hung her head and deadpanned, "That wasn't suspicious at all."
Toru grinned as they heard cabinet doors shutting a little too loudly for Rankapoppa's stealth mission. "Well, at least he's cleaning up." She accepted her tea cup from Haruhi.
"That's kind of what I'm worried about. Last time he put the tea in the spice cabinet and it took me two days to find it." She walked over to the drawer where they kept all the take-out menus.
"Want anything in particular?"
"Sushi? I'll pay," the older girl shrugged, "but I don't really care, although that ramen place is probably out. Too hot for my lip."
Haruhi gave a rare smile and pulled out a menu with colorful pictures of sushi. Toru was happy that they both loved sushi. Haruhi didn't indulge enough on her own and Toru probably indulged too much. "I'll probably marry a sushi chef," the older girl had once admitted dreamily.
When Ranka was done he found the girls leaning on each other at the table, sharing a menu with starry eyes. Toru's face was resting against Haruhi's shoulder and Haruhi was just barely resting her head on top of Toru's. His heart skipped a beat, warmth spreading through his chest.
The girls didn't know how Ranka teleported behind them, but both froze in shock when he pounced, enveloping them in a very noisy hug. "Oh, you're both so cute!"
A/N: Majior thanks to MissVampyre and AoiKuroNekoSan for truly excellent work editing this chapter as my beta readers, and on such short notice too. Many-many thanks to MissVampyre, AoiKuroNekoSan, minatu-chan, and SarcamSpeaksVolumes (Ryanabeth) for filling out my questionnaire over chapters 1-4 and providing some critical feedback. I'll be able to edit them in a coupe of weeks and make them really nice now. I'd love to hear what all of my lovely readers think as well, so please drop me a line and let me know. Please let me know if you have any questions about terminology or anything you're unsure about. :)
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Takedown defense is literally the ability to avoid being thrown, tossed, or pulled the the ground in Judo, Jiu Jutsu, and Mixed Martial Arts. To be good against a person who knows Judo or Jiu Jutsu, you must master takedown defense and/or learn to counter their attempts. If you were to come from a family who taught Judo and sucked at takedown defense, it would be like owning a bank and having to file for bankruptcy.