Sorry about all the typos. I fixed them though haha! Thank you for all the reviewing, favoriting, and following! T-T
"I hate you!" I screeched at the red-haired boy who stood smirking at me. His almost gold eyes only looked at me in amusement. Trembling with hatred and rage, I shoved past him leaving the room full of teen boys staring at me in astonishment.
"Akari!" Haku called. Shutting out everyone's voice, I started sprinting out. My footsteps thundered across the marble floor, and I flew down the hallways faster than lightning. I ran as if I was being chased down, and the world around me melted away into nothing but a blur. Arms and legs pumping, I sliced through the air allowing the wind to slap against my body.
When I stopped to catch my breath, I noticed the walls of roses that surrounded me. Sighing, I walked over to a nearby bench and slumped into it. It wasn't my fault I lost my temper, anyone would if that pathetic worm of a man talked to them! gritting my teeth, I recalled the events from the past couple of days.
Start of long flashback...
Akari had gone home after thanking the Fujiokas countless times for allowing her to stay at their house. To show her appreciation, she had booked them a meal with her the next weekend to eat at a fancy sushi restaurant. Haruhi was very excited, since she would be able to eat the "fancy tuna" she always daydreamed about. The two tried declining, but Akari insisted, and seeing her stubborn nature the two happily gave in. Unfortunately, when Akari arrived, a certain teen boy was still there.
"Why is he here?" I snarled through gritted teeth.
"Now now Baby Sister, don't get too angry. Erai here just wanted to see you! It's been a little while now since the two of you had an actual conversation." Haku smiled at me nervously, as he ran his fingers through his caramel hair.
"Where are your manners?" Osamu said sternly as he looked up from the textbook he was reading. Arashi avoided eye-contact with me. My facial expression softened. Sighing, I glared at Erai.
"Hi." I tightly clenched my bag full of my belongings. The red-haired womanizer gave me that annoying smirk of his, and I clenched my teeth to avoid saying something I'd regret.
"Nice to see you too, friend," Erai said in an overly-sweet voice.
"Now that you've seen me, get out." I stepped away from the door and gestured towards it.
"Tch. How rude of you Akari! I thought you were better than that!" Haku waved a finger at my face. Rolling my eyes, I sauntered over to our bedroom and threw my bag onto my bunk. Ugh. It smelled like him. Scrunching my nose, I noted to myself to wash the sheets.
After couple of moments of my brothers conversing with Erai near the door, he left. Osamu came into the bedroom first.
"You could've been nicer," he grumbled as he sat on his bunk.
"I missed you too," I stated sarcastically.
"Big Brother missed you very muuuuuucccchhhhh!" Haku glomped on my and nuzzled the top of my head.
"Did the Fujiokas treat you well? Were you polite?" He asked. Smiling just the slightest, I returned his hug and wrapped my arms around his skinny waist.
"Yeah," then I pushed him away and put on an "angry" face.
"But I didn't appreciate you having Erai stay over suddenly," his lower lip trembled as he looked down at me.
"I said that I was sorrrryyyyy!" He wailed. He tried to pull me into another hug, but I placed my hand on his face and stepped away.
"Promise you won't do it again?" He pouted and was about to complain, but then I put on my puppy face. My eyes were round and watery, and my lips were pouting. Biting his lower lip, I saw Haku gave in.
"Fine, I won't do it again," he smiled and then ruffled my hair.
"I missed you kiddo," I grinned.
"Me too. "
The rest of our evening was nice, we just talked about the events that occurred during our break. School would me starting once again tomorrow, so we all went to bed early like good little children.
They never really questioned my reasons for hating Erai since they clearly saw how I wasn't going to talk about it. I like how they respect that I need my space sometimes. Arashi avoided eye-contact with me for the rest of the evening, obviously feeling guilty about our fight at the beach before he left. I decided to talk to him tomorrow, when we weren't around Haku or Osamu. I could tell they knew something was up between us, but they decided not to pry.
The next day, we woke up when the alarm set off and Osamu won.
"I won!" He let out a dark chuckle that sent chills down my spine.
"D-don't laugh like that! It's scary!" Haku whimpered as he held a pillow close to him.
"Sorry," Osamu recompsed himself.
"Alright, the punishment is only for Akari and Arashi," he said sternly.
"What? No fair!" I crossed my arms childishly.
"Your punishment is to make-up with each other for whatever fight you had," I glanced towards my twin, to find him staring blankly at the ground. I bit my lip and looked away.
"Um...sorry about last time...I didn't mean to get you worried..." Peeking at his face, I saw that he was still looking away.
"I'm sorry too; I was just angry at myself mostly. You didn't do anything wrong..." He said in a low voice. I looked up the same time he did.
"So we're cool?" I asked him as I took out my hand.
"We're cool," he grabbed it, and gave me a small smile. I grinned back.
"It's good to see you again Arashi!" He smirked.
"Remember our competition? The one about being the better host?" I grinned back.
"Of course."
I was in a really good mood during the limo ride, and during school hours. After school ended, I convinced my brothers to visit the Host club to see what it was about.
"I don't see what's so great about it. Based on what you two told me, it's just a bunch of guys flirting with delusional fangirls," Osamu grumbled as we walked to the music room.
"I think it's great! I have to talk to Kyoya about some matters concerning the bakery anyway," Haku said as he smiled. Arashi said nothing and wore a bored expression on his face.
"Yeah, just remember: pretend you don't know Haruhi is a girl in front of the guests or else Kyoya will have you shipped off to New Zealand," I opened the grand doors.
"Akari! Good to see you!" Tamaki was cheerful as usual, and glancing around the room the Hosts were all doing what they normally did. The twins were pestering Haruhi who remained straight-faced, Honey senpai ate cake while Mori senpai accompanied him, and Kyoya was vigorously typing stuff into his laptop.
"Hey king!" I gave him a closed-eyed smile.
"You brought your brothers?" The Hitachiins walked over towards us, their steps perfectly synced. Hikaru seemed normal despite storming off the other day(he threw a fit of jealous rage...)
"We have names," grumbled Osamu as he adjusted his glasses.
"We didn't bother remembering them," the twins said as they shrugged their shoulders.
"I hope you're not here to flirt with my daughter!" Tamaki shook an accusing finger at Haku, who only smiled in a relaxed manner.
"Oh no, I wouldn't dream of it!" Haku threw up his hands in the air as if he was surrendering.
"Don't worry Haruhi, daddy will protect you," Tamaki had pulled Haruhi into a suffocating hug, and was nuzzling the top of her head. I saw her face redden just the slightest.
"Haku-senpai, it's nice to see you," Kyoya closed his laptop as he stood, business smile painted onto his lips.
"You too Ootori, I have some matters I'd like to discuss with you," Haku gave him an equally cool smile back. The two made their way over towards a quiet part of the room, jabbering about stuff I don't really care about. The twins were pestering Osamu, who was surprisingly very irritable today.
"I bet you didn't join the Host club because no girl would like you," said Hikaru.
"Yeah, you're so boring. No girl would be interested in having a conversation with you," said Kaoru.
"I honestly couldn't care less what a pair of children think about me. And the idea of wasting time by entertaining a bunch of shallow rich ladies doesn't really appeal to me," Osamu said coldly.
"Aww, don't be so harsh," the twins said at the same him as they slung their arms around Osamu's shoulders. He arched an eyebrow at them. He was only a couple inches taller than them.
"I bet you would look much less nerdy if you took off your glasses," said the twins as they grinned mischievously. Osamu narrowed his eyes at them. Before he could react, Hikaru had stolen Osamu's glasses and had ran off, and Osamu chased after him.
"I don't have time for your childish games!" Osamu shouted as he ran after Hikaru. I laughed in amusement, and Arashi yawned.
"Kaoru! Catch!" Hikaru threw Osamu's glasses in the air, and across the room towards Kaoru's direction. Osamu jumped up, and caught them with one hand.
"Tch. You're a bad thrower," Osamu pushed his glasses back onto his face and scowled at the Phoenix-haired twins.
"Aww, you didn't have to ruin the fun," he said.
"Rude," Osamu muttered.
"The club will be opening in three minutes, everyone get into positions. And Osamu-senpai? You and Haku will be guest hosts today," Kyoya's calm voice sliced through the cacophony.
Osamu grunted, before finding an open couch to sit down on, Haku joining him.
"I'm gonna win," I said in a sing-song voice to Arashi.
"We'll see about that," my clone smirked at me.
Soon enough, a sea of yellow dresses swarmed into the room. The excited chatter of the girls filling the air. Tamaki introduced my brothers to the rest of the girls, and they quickly gained more customers. A group of girls were seated in front of me.
"Hello ladies, enjoyed your break?" I imitated the silvery voice the Butler from the Maid cafe used. Giggling, the trio answered.
"Yes we did, and we were very excited to see the Host club again," the red-head said.
After entertaining the guests for a little bit, I peeked over to Haku and Osamu to see what kind of act they were doing. Surprisingly, Haku was the older brother type, and Osamu was the calm, quiet one. I expected Haku to be the flirty one, but I guess he didn't want to copy Tamaki. but nevertheless, all the ladies loved him as I expected. Some of the more quiet girls snuck peeks at Osamu, who was reading; Osamu like my other brothers was very appealing, but because he seemed so nerdy a lot of girls were a bit scared of approaching him. Most of the girls sitting near him merely admired his physical appearance.
"Kyoya! Haku is stealing all of my customers away!" Tamaki complained to the busy Kyoya. He didn't bother looking up from the notes he was scribbling down.
"Don't worry, it's only for today," said Kyoya nonchalantly.
"Imouto-chan, you look so cute when you blush like that!" Haku smiled at one of his customers as he gently patted her head. She pouted.
"You think I'm cute and not pretty?" Spoiled much. Haku only chuckled warmly, before lightly poking her nose.
"Of course you're pretty, but to me you're my precious little sister! So if someone makes you cry, be sure to tell your older brother. Kay?" He gave her a sweet, closed-eye smile. The other girls squealed.
"Talk to me now Big Brother!" Said another girl. Osamu was reading his textbook quietly next to Haku, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. I noticed one of his customers decided to talk to him, the other girls were practically drooling as they watched him read.
"Um...is that AP Physics?" She said timidly. Osamu looked up, and nodded.
"Could...you help me understand the concept of acceleration? I've been having trouble in class..." Osamu, surprisingly, smiled at her a little.
"Sure, why not?" The glasses-wearing girl blushed, and the her friends fangirled. I chuckled to myself. I turned my attention to where Arashi was.
"Do you like having us as your customers?" A brunette was smiling up at Arashi.
"B-baka! Don't say such embarrassing things!" Arashi turned his head away, and covered his mouth with one of his hands as his face turned cherry-red. I don't know how he was able to make himself blush voluntarily. It was a skill, really.
"Why aren't you paying attention to us?" One of my customers pouted.
"Sorry! It's just that I didn't get to spend time with my brothers over the break, so I've missed them," I smiled at them while rubbing the back of my neck. The girls "awwed" me.
"That's so sweet!" Said one girl as she was smiling at me with sparkling eyes.
"Not as sweet as your smile!" I said cheerfully while grinning. A red blush exploded on her face, and the sounds of squeals filled the entire room.
After a while, the club ended and the girls all left murmuring about how hot my brothers were, and complaining that Osamu and Haku were only temporary Hosts.
"Good-bye cuties!" Haku waved at the leaving guests with a smiling face.
"Bye Big Brother!" Numerous girls waved back at him at the same time.
"U-um...thanks..." The shy girl wearing glasses smiled at Osamu, and he nodded politely. After everyone left, the double doors closed shut.
"Do I see a potential girlfriend?" I nudged Osamu while smirking at him mischievously. He scowled.
"Oh, so Haku can flirt with hundreds of girls but as soon as I talk to one-"
"Chill Osamu, I was just kidding," I lightly punched him on the shoulder.
"She really seemed to like you ya know," I grinned at him, and Haku smiled at Osamu as well.
"She was just asking me for help in Physics," he grumbled as he opened his textbook to start reading it. Only, it was upside down.
Haku, Arashi, and I all smiled at each other knowingly.
"Good day gentlemen," a familiar voice rang out to the room. Turning our attention to the speaker, we saw a guy pushing open the doors and walking in. It was Erai. My eyes instantly narrowed, and I had to refrain myself from hissing. His stupid, red hair was pulled into a high ponytail and it swished about with each step. Ugh, I hate his hair a burning passion; how do girls find it hot?!
"Whose this guy?" Asked the twins in unison. I tensed up, and Kyoya noticed. Clenching my teeth, I tried walking past him but Erai grabbed my arm.
"You're leaving as soon as I come in? So harsh Akari. You haven't changed at all," he said in a "polite" voice.
"What are you doing here Erai?" Asked Haku and Osamu. Arashi wore an impassive mask on his face, similar to Mori senpai's.
"I believe this is Erai Yukimura, he...transferred to Ouran this morning."
"What?!" My brothers and I all said in unison(minus Arashi).
"I wanted to spend more time with my best friends! And my future fiance of course," I clenched my fists.
"Who is your future fiance?" Honey senpai frowned a bit after seeing my distress.
"Don't you are," I spat through gritted teeth.
"Akari!" he smirked at me.
Everyone stared at me in utter shock, except for Kyoya who wore a placid expression on his face. My face turned red, and its features were contorted with rage and loathing.
"I hate you!"
End of long flashback...
I had curled up into a little ball and buried my head into my knees. I really didn't want to face my brothers or the Host club after they found out. Why was I engaged to someone as repulsive as him?! I would rebel against my father's wishes if I hated him as much as I did in the past...but...He wasn't the same man who had sent my brothers and I away to America.
My heart sank when I remembered the last time I had seen him, when we arrived in Japan nine years after being separated. His shoulders were slumped, his hair was graying. Wrinkles started to form on his pale-face, and he was nothing but skin and bones. Dark bags indicating sleepless nights sat under his eyes, and his cheeks were sunk in from exhaustion. His voice was so empty and lifeless, no longer harsh or cold. His eyes stared back at me blankly, like an empty statue's. He was devoid of emotion in a different way, he was emotionless because he had wasted away. He was a broken man. When I was a child, he was a bitter man; enraged, heartbroken, grieving after the death of our mother. Prior to her death, he was the kindest father anyone could ask for. His warm eyes would twinkle whenever he looked at us, and he would embrace us very often. But now, there wasn't a trace of the loving man or the cold man he once was. He had asked me to marry Erai because he knew that if I married into a wealthy family, I would have a secure future. The way he stood, and how weak he looked, none of us could say no. My brothers seemed more heartbroken when they saw what had become of their father. So we bought a separate apartment, so that we wouldn't have to see the empty shell of a man everyday; so our hearts wouldn't cry every time we looked into his sorrowful eyes.
"I thought I might find you here," a cool voice sliced through the silence around me. Glancing up, I saw Kyoya approaching me, alone. I scooted over on the bench, making room for him to sit down. After seating himself, the bespectacled boy started talking.
"Don't worry too much about Erai, I've already set a plan into motion to break your family's ties with him." I peeked at him to see an evil smile on his face. I smirked.
"So are you going to send him away to some remote island?" Kyoya looked at me with an amused expression.
"No, but just be patient and Erai won't be a problem anymore." I do not want to know what Kyoya had in store. But whatever it was, I'm sure I would be great. I chuckled, then I looked up at the cloudless sky.
"I don't know what that brain of yours is planning, but I'm sure it'll work." I smiled to myself a little bit. I didn't have to worry, Kyoya Ootori, the Shadow King was on my side! I felt myself relax a bit.
"Sorry about the outburst from earlier, I just can't stand that jerk," I grumbled. I suddenly remembered my friend back at the orphanage, the one who never spoke to me again. If she was in front of me instead of Kyoya, she would've offered me some candy; she would've told me that she would shave the jerk who upset me bald. She would've smiled and tried to cheer me up. I miss her. Why did a stupid boy have to come in between us? I bit my lower lip.
"It's not a problem. Oh, just so you know, Erai and your brothers left already, and I haven't told the Host club anything yet." I looked up at him, surprised.
"Huh? Wouldn't you normally just spill the beans to them? How come you didn't tell them what happened, it's very out of character. The Kyoya Ootori I know announces everyone's personal information as soon has he gets a hold of their file!" Kyoya frowned a little upon hearing the description of him I gave, but he answered my question.
"Because I wasn't sure if it was my place to tell them such personal information; and I didn't know if you would be alright with it or not," he said quietly. My eyes widened. Aww...how sweet of him. I grinned at him and hugged him without thinking.
"Aww, you're best Kyo." I felt him stiffen up a bit, then relax. I pulled away, and I had to fight down a blush that threatened to surface on my face.
"Sorry, I get too huggy and touchy sometimes." I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. He smirked at me.
"I'm used to it by now," we both looked up the blue sky. Silence hung in the hair, but not in an awkward way; the quiet atmosphere was really peaceful.
I smiled to myself; Kyoya is really an awesome friend. But...What happens after Erai is gone? It's not like Kyoya will feel the same about me...I'm not like the type of girl that Kyoya or any other guy in this school would be interested in. I'm not girly and I don't look pretty in dresses. I have a deeper voice than other girls, and I'm super flat chested: even Haruhi has more than me! I can beat any guy in an arm-wrestling contest, burping contest, and I can definitely pass off as a dude. Sure, I like myself for who I am but...
"Hey Kyoya?" I broke the silence. Although I didn't stop looking away from the crystal-blue sky, I could tell that Kyoya was now looking at me.
"Hm?"
"Do...you think that I'm not feminine enough for a girl?" I tried to say it in the most nonchalant manner as possible. There was a couple of more moments of silence, but he finally spoke up.
"Even though you act and dress like a teenage boy, you're still a pretty girl Akari." I looked down at my shoes, and my face heated up to about over a hundred degrees.
"Really?" I coughed awkwardly and averted eye contact.
"Akari, you're self-conscious about being a tomboy. You feel as if you're not as pretty as other girls, and the other day at the mall confirmed my suspicions. I believe the Frozen Yogurt worker said something that made you feel insecure about yourself and I'm guessing it was some snarky comment. You don't have to act or dress like other girls to be an amazing person Akari; you should have more confidence. Just because you may pursue activities and display personality traits often found in boys does not make you any less of an amazing woman you already are." I looked at Kyoya now with surprise etched onto my face. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. A warm, fluttering feeling swarmed around in my stomach, and I felt a giggle trying to squirm out from me. Face being a light shade of pink, I gave Kyoya a closed-eye smile.
"Thanks Kyoya...I'm flattered and...I don't know what else to say." Laughing, I leaned back and looked up at the baby-blue sky once again. All of my feelings of dread, rage, and frustration had melted away without me realizing it. If Kyoya came to make me feel better, he was successful. Of course he was, he never failed at anything. My heart kept on fluttering at fast beats, and my cheeks still tingled with a lingering blush. I felt like a protagonist from a shoujo manga and honestly, I liked the feeling very much.
"I feel better now...thanks. Huh...so this is what it feels like," I mumbled the last part softly.
"What?" He didn't catch everything I said.
"Nothing, now let's get back to the others." I lightly punched him on the shoulder and stood up.
"You're always helping me out and making me feel better, I should do something special for ya!" I grinned at him. He rolled his eyes, and stood up as well.
"No need. Like I said, just keep on bringing in a steady flow of customers for the Host club," he stood.
"We should head back now," turning, he walked away from me signaling that I should follow him.
We walked back, and I "interviewed" him more. I learned that Kyoya enjoys painting(shocking right?) I had no idea he was an artist. But, I think the hobby suits him; it's calm and refined. He's not much of an animal person, and he has older siblings. Although Kyoya told me that he and his older brothers weren't very close, I could tell that he respected them very greatly. But...I couldn't help but notice the sadness that swam in his stormy eyes when he talked about them. Wait a second...Kyoya's family was a very influential business group. Kyoya was the third son, so that means his family's business would be passed down to one of his older brothers. My heart sank a bit. I think Kyoya deserved to manage the business...He seemed to be the most amazing, capable person I've ever met. It was sad knowing that even though Kyoya may be the best heir in taking over the Ootori business, he never would because he was the third son. I decided not to say anything though, I'm sure this already is a huge weight for him.