Hey again! I thought it'd be a while before this chapter was up, but I got a little bored and it was ready! Not sure I'll be able to say the same for the next chapter though – hoping it'll be up by next Sunday evening!
Massive thanks to mwaetht, Nitrea, reno321 and Kuramasredredrose! Thanks for the reviews/story alerts/messages! You have no idea how much it means to hear from my readers!
Enough babble, here's the next chapter!
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Cho didn't return to class for the remainder of the day. Haruhi bit her lip. What if, for some bizarre reason, the chairman had withdrawn Cho's scholarship? Or he had told her she'd have to pay for her own uniform? She might not even be able to afford that. Haruhi shook her head, rolling her eyes for being so stupid. She'd been spending far too much time with Tamaki – his overreactions had rubbed off on her. But she still couldn't understand why she would not attend any lessons on her first day at a new school.
Hikaru was not in the best of moods. Haruhi had been very short with him all day, after he'd made yet another commoner remark about Cho. She had brought it up very briefly, not up for discussion, but basically reminding him that, whatever his issue was with Cho, his comments about commoners applied to her as well.
"If you remember, I didn't pay for my own uniform! ¥300,000 is a lot of money, Hikaru, so why don't you just back off!"
Hikaru cringed. He didn't like being reprimanded, least of all by Haruhi. Yet, for once, Kaoru seemed to be in a happier mood, so at least that took his mind off things.
Haruhi had been avoiding the twins as much as possible for the rest of the day. Maybe this would teach them to think before they opened their big mouths. Kaoru wasn't as bad as Hikaru, sometimes it was just habit, but other times she knew he was just following his brother's lead.
The Host Club was open for business, and Haruhi breathed relief when she discovered there was no lame theme. However, her punctuality was failing her, as she was also late for the Club. It was just wrapping up as she walked in to find the room full of guests, but for once, they all seemed to be gathered around Hikaru and Kaoru.
Their 'brotherly love' appeal had been taken up a notch or two. Kaoru was lying in Hikaru's lap, who was running one hand through Kaoru's hair, the other stroking his cheek and tracing lines around his mouth. The girls sat in silence, yet their glee couldn't be hidden in silence. They looked ready to explode.
Haruhi came in and threw her bag into the corner. She looked for Tamaki, who, as usual, was sat on the sofa entertaining a sole girl, giving her all of his attention.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, miss," Haruhi apologised, bowing slightly to the young lady. "But I really need to speak to Tamaki-senpai, so if I could borrow him from you for just a moment?"
The girl giggled and nodded. "Of course, it's no problem at all. I was just leaving anyway," She stood up, as did Tamaki.
"Until tomorrow, my princess. I will await your sweet return," Tamaki smiled, each word soaked with charm.
After seeing the girl out, Tamaki leapt on Haruhi, embracing her tightly.
"Haruhi! What's wrong with my daughter!"
Haruhi, her face squashed against his chest, struggled to push him away. "There's nothing wrong with me, Senpai!"
"But Hikaru and Kaoru said you were late this morning, and you're late again! It's terribly unusual for you to be late, especially twice in the same day!"
Haruhi was surprised at herself. Surprised that she could still be astonished by Tamaki's ability to overreact with any tiny detail. Who else would think there was something so wrong because of somebody's tardiness? She stole a glance over at the twins, and could have sworn she'd seen Hikaru looking her way, but he had returned to teasing Kaoru, and in turn, their guests.
Grabbing Haruhi's shoulders, Tamaki held her at arm's length, and looked her directly in the eye. Haruhi stiffened. What was wrong with him?
"What did you want to talk to me about?" He asked, serious for a change.
She relaxed. Once again, overreacting.
"I just wanted to apologise for being late. I know it can tarnish the Club's reputation."
"Indeed, it can." Kyoya interjected. "Make sure it doesn't happen again, or I may have to add your uniform costs onto your debt,"
He was sat at a desk, typing away on his sleek laptop. Made a change from his notebook at least. Haruhi rarely saw Kyoya entertaining guests; his role seemed more financial and managerial, despite Renge having appointed herself as the Club's manager.
Haruhi groaned. Maybe Cho wasn't going to be the only one having problems with the payment for her uniform.
"So, why were you late?" Kyoya furthered, but his eyes remained on the laptop's screen. "There were several customers who requested to sit with you today. They settled for the twins when they were informed you weren't here."
"I really am sorry, Kyoya-senpai. I told my dad I'd be home straight after school to help him; he's applying for a new job at the bar." Haruhi explained.
"And you didn't think to tell us that you were likely to be late, or miss the Host Club altogether?" Kyoya pressed, now looking up to see Haruhi's face.
She bit her lip. She hadn't seen any of the club members during the day, with the exception of Hikaru and Kaoru, and she, stubbornly, refused to talk to them, so she wasn't going to ask them to do her a favour.
Honey and Mori, having said goodbye to their guests, had now joined them by the sofa.
"Why didn't Haru-chan ask Hika-chan or Kao-chan to tell us?" Honey asked, plonking down on the sofa.
"Yeah," Mori's contributions to conversation rarely differed.
Haruhi pouted. "Because they clearly have issues with commoners like me!" She said loudly, emphasising the last three words and glaring over at the twins.
They both glanced over. Kaoru looked the guiltier of the two. Haruhi wasn't surprised. He seemed to be more aware of his own conscience. Hikaru just looked away again.
"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Tamaki shouted, and shot between them, before he dropped his voice. "What have I told you about embarrassing Haruhi? She can't help that she's just a commoner!"
Haruhi's eyes narrowed. Tamaki's version of lowering his voice was simply back down to an average volume, so even from across the room he was still audible.
After being ordered and thrown across the room by Tamaki, the twins stood with their heads down in shame. Kaoru apologised first, and Haruhi smiled. Hikaru looked at her first, almost as though he was battling with himself, deciding whether he should say sorry or not. But Haruhi spoke first.
"It doesn't matter whether you want to apologise to me or not, Hikaru." She said, before turning to Kaoru. "Thank you, though, Kaoru. But I'm not the one you should be apologising to."
They exchanged glances. Kaoru smiled at Hikaru, who mirrored him, and then turned to Haruhi. He muttered a quick apology, before they flitted out the room.
Once outside, making their way down the corridor, Hikaru looked at Kaoru, and received a look of encouragement. Kaoru knew that it was difficult for Hikaru, and whilst he'd thoroughly enjoyed his day after spending all day solely with his brother, it was only when he'd been attempting to keep face in front of Haruhi. For the rest of the time, it had been rather miserable, as Hikaru had moped the whole time. If seeing his brother happy meant sharing him a little, Kaoru was more than happy to oblige.
They reached Music Room #1, and, as hoped, they could hear the hum of violin strings. Despite their best intentions, the twins still weren't sure of the usual etiquette of knocking, and simply opened the door, walking into the naturally bright room.
Cho stopped playing instantly, blinking at the Hitachiins. She was wearing the male version of the Ouran Academy uniform – a pale blue blazer over a white shirt and tie, and plain black trousers. Initially stunned upon seeing her attire, the silence was short-lived, as they burst out laughing.
"What are you wearing the guys' uniform for?"
"Didn't they splash out enough for you to get the dress?"
Once again, Cho went a violent shade of red. Kaoru noticed and stopped laughing. Hikaru looked at his brother and gave him an awkward look, before following suit. This was not the reason they were here.
Hikaru inhaled, looked to Kaoru for some final support, and then spoke.
"Choyo, I really am sorry." He couldn't go any further than that, but he didn't need to.
"Thank you," was Cho's reply. It was clear she wanted to say more, but didn't know how to.
Kaoru smiled. He heard the wind whistle outside, causing the trees to dance and cast fluttering shadows in the room, and he couldn't help but notice how it seemed to mirror the situation. It was a big moment for both Hikaru and Cho. He decided to carry on, for Hikaru and Cho's sake, so they didn't have to endure an awkward silence out of uncertainty or shyness.
"We're the Hitachiin brothers. I'm Kaoru, and this is Hikaru."
Cho went white. She repeated her thank you, slammed her violin into the case in a great rush, and fled from the room, stopping and looking back momentarily to apologise. Then she ran, pulling the door closed behind her.
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So yeah, there we have it! Let me know what you think! Please try and bear in mind that I only have a very loose plot at the moment, so a lot is just improv to move the story along a little!
Thanks, see you all next week (hopefully!)
~KW