Chapter Four: Fish Out Of Water
"Why is it taking so long?" Hikaru tapped his foot as he and the rest of the host club waited outside the airport for Kyoya. His brother, who was not yet back to his old self due to the traumatic plane ride, was sitting on a nearby bollard with his legs dangling in the air. He looked at the clear blue sky over Hawaii and cringed as a plane cut through it slowly.
"Maybe Kyo-chan got lost," Honey offered from his perch on Mori's shoulders.
Before anyone could reply Kyoya appeared looking like a pack mule; he was carrying four large bags and dragging two suitcases behind him.
"Um…" Haruhi bit her lip as she looked at the luggage, "Where's the rest of it?"
Hikaru and Kaoru jumped to their feet, Haruhi noticed that the older twin was staying as close to his brother as possible, he was obviously feeling guilty about the plane ride. The twins stepped behind Kyoya and examined the two large suitcases.
"This one says 'Sally Hunter'," Hikaru said as he read the label.
"And this one says 'Corey McMillan'," Kaoru added.
Kyoya's head lowered slightly and he dropped the bags he was holding. Without his glasses he'd only just been able to see the bags, never mind the labels, and so he'd just guessed which were theirs based on the colour and size of the bags. Tamaki dashed to 'Mother's' side and started to check the labels on the hand luggage.
"Well at least this one's right," Tamaki handed Kyoya his bag and began to check the others. He held up a large blue duffle bag and threw it at Hikaru, "And this one's yours."
Haruhi slowly checked the labels on the remaining two bags although she already knew neither of them were hers due to their expensive designer looks. One of them, a large silver bag with blue polka dots, said it belonged to Mr. Smith and the other, a smaller bag with stickers all over it, didn't have a label. Tamaki slumped to the floor in defeat,
"Well this is disastrous! How could you do this to us, Mother?"
Kyoya ignored the blonde-haired prince as he quickly rummaged through his bag for his glasses. Once he'd found them he slid them onto his nose and immediately felt more confident. He pushed them onto his face and frowned at the luggage,
"Well these were the only ones left."
Honey jumped down from Mori's shoulders, dragging Bun-Bun along behind him, and unzipped the small, sticker-covered bag. Inside were brightly coloured shirts and shorts, all with patterns of flowers on them and all just about the perfect size for Honey. He pulled out a particularly garish green shirt and held it out in front of him,
"Look! These will fit me!"
Mori was by his side suddenly and he crouched down beside the smaller boy, "You can't wear them."
Honey turned to his dark-haired protector with tears in his large eyes, "Why not?"
"Yeah, why not?" The twins chorused together.
Kyoya straightened his glasses and looked at Hikaru and Kaoru, "They're someone else's clothes."
Hikaru rolled his eyes, "So? You picked up the wrong bags and ours are long gone-"
"-probably being sold on the black market," Kaoru added.
"So we should wear these ones," Hikaru finished.
Tamaki nodded in agreement and Kyoya shrugged; he had his luggage and so it didn't really matter what the others wore. Haruhi stared at the group open-mouthed, how could they be so nonchalant about stealing someone else's clothes? She was about to open her mouth to speak when a large, white limousine pulled up next to her. A tall man in a suit climbed out and opened the door for her.
"Finally," Tamaki ducked into the limo, followed quickly by the others as the chauffeur collected their (or rather someone else's) luggage. Haruhi jumped quickly into the limo and buckled her seatbelt.
Inside, the limo was huge; the ceiling was covered in hundreds of tiny blue lights and the leather seats were so soft that Haruhi had to keep pushing herself up so as not to slide completely onto the floor. The floor was carpeted with a thick black shag pile and Haruhi slid off her sandal so that she could sink her toes into it. There was fresh fruit and juice in an ornate cabinet by her side and so she munched on a fresh mango whilst the others chatted.
"I wonder what the hotel will be like," Honey mumbled through a mouthful of strawberries.
"Well my father stays there a lot and he recommended it himself," Tamaki smiled and turned to Haruhi, "You'll love it Haruhi! It'll be just like a fairytale!" He seemed to glaze over for a moment as something played out in his mind and Haruhi leaned forward so that she could see around him.
Hikaru was holding a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and Kaoru kept taking it and sipping some before placing it back in his brother's hand. Haruhi wondered if they even knew they were doing it. Mori was preoccupied with the scenery outside the window and Haruhi turned to look out of her own. The harsh roads had given way to lush green trees and foliage and she could see a huge stretch of beach laid out in front of the limo. The sea was sparkling greens and blues and she couldn't wait to look through the rock pools for new and exciting creatures.
The thoughts of sea creatures and lush beaches were still roaming through Haruhi's mind when the limo came to a stop. The chauffer opened the door and Haruhi stepped out into the bright light. She squinted and held up her hand to block the harsh sunlight and there, in front of her, was the largest hotel she had ever seen. Huge windows surrounded by ornate gold pillars made up the front of the hotel and it reminded Haruhi of an Arabian fantasy book she had once read. The group walked up the marble stairs and through the large shimmering glass doors into a huge lobby. The marble floor made their footsteps echo and emphasised the size of the room.
Tamaki stepped up to the reception desk, again made of marble, and smiled broadly at the young lady standing behind it. She seemed dazed for a moment, something that happened to ladies a lot around Tamaki, and then she returned the smile,
"Welcome to Maika'i loa hanohano Hale ali'i! Can I take your name please?"
"Tamaki Suoh," he smiled again and the receptionist took a moment to compose herself before typing his name into her computer.
"Of course Mr. Suoh, right this way please." The lady made her way out of the desk area and ushered the group towards the elevator. Haruhi wasn't an expert on hotel etiquette but she was almost certain it wasn't usual for the receptionist to escort the guests to their rooms. The poor girl must think that she actually has a chance with Tamaki, thought Haruhi with a sly smile.
When they stepped out of the elevator, which was as ornate as the rest of the building, the receptionist, who had revealed her name was Auli`I, showed them to their suite. Instead of separate rooms Tamaki had arranged for the group to stay in the penthouse suite together on the top floor of the hotel. Auli`I offered to show them all around the suite but Tamaki had kindly declined and she had finally taken the hint to leave.
The penthouse was bigger than Haruhi's actual home and she felt like an unwelcome guest as she stood awkwardly in the middle of the lounge. Tamaki bounded up behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck whilst somehow gesturing to the huge room,
"Isn't it wonderful! Have you seen your room yet Haruhi?"
Before she could answer Tamaki was dragging her to a door at the end of the room; he opened it dramatically and jumped into the large bedroom behind it. Haruhi followed gingerly and gave a sigh of relief when she saw the king sized bed and wardrobe. Yes the room was huge and ridiculously ornate but it wasn't as big as Haruhi had imagined in her head. The bed was covered in a gold, silky material and one of the suitcases was lying on it.
"That's Sally Hunter's. Kyoya thought there might be something in it that fits you." Haruhi looked at Tamaki and sighed; he was trying his best but something about wearing someone else's clothes felt a little too familiar for Haruhi's liking. She smiled and nodded as Tamaki left her alone to explore the contents of the suitcase.