Chapter Six: Oceans and Zukas!
"C'mon, Kiiro-senpai, come with us." the two dark, gleaming grins said in unison.
"I'm not going anywhere," she replied, crossing her arms. "Your uni-voice is all too creepy."
"We're just going..."
"...to the ocean..."
"We know how you miss the ocean." Unison.
It was true, it was one of the few things Kiiro missed about California. But, that didn't mean she could just go with them without a second thought.
"No, boys, I can't, I..."
"You don't have an excuse not to go." Kyouya said from behind her seat. "So, you'll come along with us." he said simply, looking up from his notebook.
"Kyouya, I..." she turned to face him, trying to protest but, "...fine. When are we going?"
The Twins were now focused on trying to make King angry. They were explaining why, of all their mother's swimsuit designs, they choose a ruffled top look to hide her flat chest. Their provocation worked, causing Tamaki to resort to hitting them "out of the park" with a baseball bat, "Stop sexually harassing my daughter you bastards!" he screamed.
"Is it my fate to be saddled with three kids at only seventeen?" Kyouya sighed.
"Well, you are "Mommy"." Kiiro pointed out with a chuckle.
"Aunty! Hikaru and Kaoru are saying nasty things about their little sister! Make them behave!" Tamaki whined.
"And, apparently, you are "Aunty"." Kyouya returned.
"At least mine corresponds to my gender." she crossed her arms.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
"Good."
Kiiro dodged the glint off his glasses, turning her attention back to the conversation.
"Does that mean we're not going to the ocean?" the Twins continued, hiding behind a table.
"Who said we're not going?" King said with a smirk, head held high.
"It's settled then."
"Can I bring Usa-chan, too?~"
"..."
"I have no objections."
"Do I really have a choice?" Kiiro shrugged.
"Wait a minute...really?" Haruhi distressed.
"Then right now!"
'Let's go to the beach!'
This was a thousand times better than the Ootori Resort. Mostly because Kiiro knew this was all real. The salt in the air, the taste and the smell. The warm water on her skin. The sun on her stomach. She basked in the light, completely happy.
'Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.' she smiled. 'Though, this place still has an odd aura about it.'
"Thanks for making me come here, Kyouya." she whispered to herself.
"Anytime." he replied from approximately three yards away.
'How?' she sunk down into the waves.
Once she had spent enough time in the ocean, Kiiro made her way back to the shore, where she found a beach chair near the group and decided to relax in the sun.
"Are you tanning, Kiiro?" Kyouya asked.
She peaked one eye open, "I couldn't if I tried." she shrugged. "Which reminds me." she withdrew a bottle of sun block from her bag. "If I don't reapply this every so often I'll burn to a crisp."
"SPF 100?" he read.
"The strongest I could get on short notice." she lathered it on her arms.
After a moment of silence, watching her apply the lotion, he asked, "Do you want any help?"
She reddened, "N-no, thank you, I can do it."
He smirked, "As you wish."
"Everyone having fun?" an eery voice asked.
Kiiro and Tamaki jumped.
'Why does that keep happening?'
Nekozawa appeared from nowhere, carrying a parasol to shield himself from the light, in addition to his normal cloak.
"Why does it have to be Nekozawa-senpai's private beach?" the Twins whined.
'Which would explain the aura...'
"K-Kyouya! I told you I wanted to borrow your private beach!" Tamaki cried, trying to duck away from Nekozawa unsuccessfully.
"It was a sudden change of plans. Besides, Haruhi wanted to go somewhere close by domestically," Kyouya explained. "Would anyone else be able to provide a suitable location as such?"
"I see you were looking at Cat Rock." the senior went on, unaware of his lower classman's terror. "It's where each generation of the Nekozawa family provide offerings for our guardian deity," Umehito gestured to the cat-shaped rock at the end of the beach, with his cat-gloved hand. "There's a legend that says if you jump off into the sea from there you'll never come back up. Look, there's a brave challenger now."
'Is that...?' Kiiro squinted.
"HARUHI!"
Haruhi sat in the "mouth" of the "cat" looking down. Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru quickly moved her.
"I tried to make a more artistic atmosphere for everybody's enjoyment." Nekozawa continued happily. "It would be an honor if it's to your liking. Especially since I've always wanted to establish a closer friendship with Tamaki-kun..." his exposed eye glinted.
Tamaki went white with sheer fear.
The "artistic atmosphere" was created by skulls, bones, and swords scattered in the sand. The place looked like a battlefield.
"Artistic?" Kiiro shivered. "It's too macabre."
All the Hosts had brought along their clients who were also having fun on the beach. The Hosts did what they normally did, well, other than collect shellfish. They capitalized on the beautiful sea's atmosphere.
While collecting shellfish, one of the customers screamed, throwing a crab back to the sand. A centipede crawled out of its shell. In a flash, Haruhi ran up, picked out the bug and threw it far away.
The clients squealed at how "manly" Haruhi was, while the Hosts marveled at who fearless she was.
This incident prompted the beginning of the, "Who Can Find Haruhi's Weakness" Game.
It's played like this: 1. Find Haruhi's Weakness.
2. Get Assorted Pictures of Haruhi in her Middle School Days. (Courtesy of Kyouya Ootori.)
'Do I even want to know?' Kiiro chuckled.
The Twins tried dragging Haruhi into Cat Rock Cave, scaring her with makeshift ghosts. Nothing. Mori and Hani took her and some guests up to a high cliff overlooking the beach. Nothing. Nyctophobia, Aichmophobia, and Claustrophobia, all with no result. So far, there was no winner.
Suddenly, there was a scream and then a yell coming from Cat Rock. Everyone looked up to see three men trying to mess around with some of the clients. Haruhi was trying to stop them.
'Oh no!'
Tamaki and the Twins immediately jumped into action, on their way to help her, when one of the men picked her up by her shirt collar, dangling her over the edge of the rock face, before letting her fall to the waves below.
"Haruhi!" Tamaki pushed the man aside, and, without a second thought, jumped in after her.
The Twins "talked to" the men, while Kyouya took their ID cards and asked them to leave.
Tamaki and Haruhi resurfaced in mere moments, he carried her to shore. He told Kyouya and the Twins to send the clients back to their hotel. Hani was going to get a doctor but Haruhi had refused.
Everyone was quiet, trying to ascertain her condition. During all of the commotion, the sun had started to set.
"Haruhi? You... Are you a martial arts expert like Hani-senpai or won any diving competitions?" Tamaki asked, almost coldly, as he handed her to Mori.
"Huh? No..."
"Then what? We were right there and you didn't even call to us!" he continued. "Trying to face three men by yourself? You're a girl. How can you be so foolhardy?!"
Haruhi frowned, "So what does it matter if they were boys and I'm a girl." she answered. "When you encounter such a situation, you don't have the luxury to think about these things!"
Tamaki tensed, "Still think about it! Stupid!"
"I apologize for any trouble I caused, but I don't see why I need to get scolded for something more than that!" she yelled back. "I didn't do anything wrong!"
"Oh yeah? Then do whatever you want! I'm never speaking to you until you realize your mistake!" Tamaki walked off.
But then he tried to turn back.
"Looks like he wants to talk to her again. Haruhi, why don't you just apologize to him?"
"No..."
What had once been a bright, shining day, was now a dark, stormy night. And, being in the Nekozawa vacation home didn't help to disband the creeping feeling of darkness. Even the board game they were playing was lending to the atmosphere.
"Twelve years later company goes bankrupt and is forced to become a janitor at a department store." Kyouya raised an eyebrow. "It's not even funny."
"Two...One..." Kiiro advanced her game piece, drawing a card she wilted, "Seven years later has an unusual anxiety attack which leads to permanent shortness of breath?" she questioned her card. "Aw..."
"Currently earned hatred from friend and is massively depressed." the Twins said of Tamaki, who was sitting in his corner of woe, sulking. They proceeded to kick him while he was down, reiterating a fantasy of his from earlier that day, involving a white dress and shoreline walks.
"It seems Tamaki-kun likes white dresses." Umehito snuck up on him.
This time, not only did Kiiro jump at Nekozawa's sudden appearance, but also at Tamaki's blood-curdling scream. She was extra paranoid in this overly dark, possibly haunted manor.
"What the hell is up with this haunted mansion?!" Tamaki squealed, seconding Kiiro's thoughts. "And what the hell is up with this subtly unpleasant life game with all the oddly realistic predictions?!"
"It would be rude to refuse such a rare invitation, don't you think so?" Kyouya pushed up his glasses. "But honestly, it's really burdensome that it's all free..."
"I'm sure it is." Kiiro countered, earning his glare.
"Well thanks to you I'm going nuts over here because I keep getting the feeling that somebody's watching me!" Tamaki flailed. "How can I hope to play "Rich Man/Poor Man Contest with Haruhi" in this kind of house that doesn't even have electricity?!"
"You're in a cold war with her right now anyways. Besides, something like a card game would be cancelled if you weren't."
Tamaki returned to his corner.
"Staying with candlelight alone is highly beneficial to the stability of your soul..." Umehito began. "After cleansing the filthiness of the bright day, a human can find their true selves in the darkness. I predict that tonight, you will experience a very splendid-" the rest was cut off due to Nekozawa's scream as the lights came back on, he sprinted out of the room.
"The main breaker was thrown. It's in the basement, so I turned it back on." Hauhi walked into the room wearing an uncharacteristically girly dress. With pink and frills.
"Haruhi...those clothes..." Hikaru was at a loss for words.
"Yeah, I think my Dad repacked my bags. He always wants me to wear this kind of thing." she smoothed the front of the dress.
'Sounds like someone else I know.'
"Go Haruhi's Dad!"
"Haru-chan, kawaii~." Hani.
"Are your wounds okay?" Kyouya.
"Yeah, how do you feel?" Kiiro.
"But, anyways, what's up with the bare feet?" Hikaru.
"We should do something about the hair, too." Kaoru.
The Twins then went on to slipper her feet and comb her hair.
And Tamaki got a nosebleed.
"Pervert! Maniac!" the Twins dragged Haruhi away from him. "What kind of human?"
He blushed, "Who's gonna get a nosebleed looking at a stubborn brat like her?" he crossed his arms. "I just bumped my nose a little..."
Hani karate chopped him in the back of the neck.
Which, contrary to Hani's belief, did not make the nosebleed stop.
'Why would it?'
"That's a prime example of mistaken aid. Karate-style no less..."
The Hosts, and Kiiro, were seated at the dining table in the creepy mansion. On the table was the shellfish they had collected earlier.
"Where's Nekozawa-senpai?" Kaoru asked.
"He said he received a shock that rivaled being struck by lightning, so he's resting."
'Just like his card!'
"Haru-chan~! Try some ootoro~!"
Though it was already dinner time, the "cold war" raged on. Leaving everyone feeling a bit icy. King ate all the ootoro, Haruhi gave him empty crab shells and tried to stab his hand with her fork.
"Hey, you! Who are you, the Twins or something?!" he cried.
"Didn't you say you weren't going to talk to me anymore?" Haruhi asked, annoyed. "And, besides, you're gonna burst my eardrums..."
"It seems like you have no intentions of apologizing..." he huffed. "Fine, then, I'm going to bed. Haruhi! You go to bed, too!"
The butler came out to show Tamaki where his room was.
But only Kyouya left with him.
"I should have learned karate or something..." Haruhi murmured.
"So, that's where this is heading?"
"It's cool to be fearless and have a strong sense of justice but..."
"...even we think you should apologize for reckless behavior like today." the Twins confessed.
"But, I didn't cause any harm to you guys," Haruhi said. "I don't understand why senpai is getting so angry like that... But, if it was because I was weak, I'm sorry for that..." she looked down toward the floor.
"That's not it, Haru-chan..." Hani clarified. "Apologize to everybody, lots and lots to Tama-chan, too. Apologize to everyone for causing such a worry."
"Worry?" something clicked in her mind. "Everyone was worried? ...I'm sorry..."
Everyone hugged her. And then Mori had to run out with her because she was going to throw up. And then, Umehito came out of no where without a wig or cloak on.
"What's wrong? Even Beelzeneff was surprised." he said after he put on said wig and cloak.
After all of the pressure of the day, Kiiro decided to turn in to her room for some sleep. It was still storming outside, but the storm inside had subsided. Tamaki and Haruhi were no longer warring, though finding Tamaki putting earplugs and a blindfold on Haruhi had been really unexpected and weird.
As she was walking toward her room, she and Kyouya crossed paths, "Goodnight, Kiiro."
"Goodnight, Kyo-"
The mansion went dark.
"Well, looks like the powers out again..."
"..."
"Kiiro?"
"A-ah, j-just um..." she whimpered. "A little bit nyctophobic..." she whispered.
"Fear of the dark?"
"..."
"Don't be afraid. There's nothing here." he walked back to find her.
She felt his arm snake around her waist and jumped.
"It's just me."
"So-sorry..."
"It's fine." he assured her. "I'm not so cruel as to refuse you help when you need it."
"Th-thank you, Kyouya." she stuttered.
For as long as she could remember she had been plagued by her fear of the dark. When she was little in California even they had suffered rolling black outs. She also had trouble staying asleep, causing her to wake up often in the middle of the night, in the pitch black. She couldn't even move because of it back then. To this day she used a night light.
They found her room, venturing into it. She was about to thank Kyouya again for helping her and to bid him goodnight when she heard the door click shut behind them.
"K-Kyouya?"
"Answer me honestly, Kiiro, would you be able to sleep alone in the dark tonight?" he asked. "Knowing no one is awake to go switch the breaker?"
She hesitated, "Well I..."
She could just make out him patting the bed next to him.
"Would it really be so bad to share a bed with me?" his arrogance flaired.
"Well..." she was thankful he couldn't see her blush in the dark.
"I promise not to take advantage of you, Kiiro." he took hold of her hand, presenting his pinky.
"I know you wouldn't." she locked pinkies with him.
"And I'll be gone before anyone else wakes up." he assured her.
"Well, maybe just this time won't be so bad..."
They got settled into bed and, oddly, she found herself comfortable. She and Kyouya slept on either end of the spacious bed. And she only woke up once in the night, when she thought she felt Kyouya's arm on her side, his chest to her back.
And, true to his word, when the sun came up, he was gone.
Leaving her to wonder if what she thought she felt last night was a dream.
When the doors were opened, it was a room full of knights in shining armor.
Kiiro smiled, 'I hope they're able to move under all that metal.'
She and Kyouya had been working on this presentation for a while now, seeing as how this week Ouran was hosting a cultural festival. Students from all sorts of other schools were invited to perform plays and concerts. Which, potentially, meant a lot of new guests.
Their regular guests were cooing over how fabulous and strong the boys looked in their intricately crafted plate armor and heroic capes or period-style nobility wear in the case of the Twins. Haruhi was currently out buying more commoner's coffee at the request of the Twins.
"Ah, princess," Knight Tamaki fawned, "even if the world ended this minute, I want to be the man who would sacrifice his own life to save you..."
"Is that so?" one of two new guests began. "Are you under the impression that the woman left behind would be happy with just those words?" she placed a slender hand on her chin.
"There's nothing you can do about it, Silver Bell onee-sama," the other continued. "Men are lower life forms who place honor above all else." she huffed, holding her head high. "Pretending to be gallant by repackaging it in those sweet words hides their own ineptitude of not being able to preserve even his own life." she explicated.
"Oh my, Daisy. You are just too intelligent." the elder girl complimented the younger. They chatted in the waiting area beside where Tamaki was entertaining his guests.
By this time, Kiiro, intrigued, had found a seat nearer to where the two disagreeing girls nested, not wanting to miss the situation that she could sense was about to unfold.
"You're very acrimonious individuals, I see." Tamaki approached them, soft smile not faltering in the wake of their bitterness, he bowed, "What type of words would you prefer?"
"Yes, if it were me..." a third girl entered the room. "I would never leave her alone."
The third wore a man's uniform, and had the shortest hair of the three newcomers. Haruhi was by her side, looking far more confused than anyone else.
"If you're going to fight, then fight together," she continued, with a gallantry that nearly rivaled Tamaki's. "If you can't accomplish it, then you should end your life together." she knelt before Haruhi, taking her hand in hers, kissing it. "I vow that I shall never leave your side until the day my life ends."
This declaration caused mass panic in Music Room Three, "What the-?!"
Tamaki's jaw dropped and he began to point frantically, the color drained from his face.
"Rose-sama you're too much..." the other girls got up from their sofa, joining the woman in man's clothing. "Why were you so late?"
"You're incorrigible..." the long-haired girl smiled. "Where in the world did you find this lovely person?" the girls surrounded Haruhi.
"Aah... Right in front of the school, by pure luck," the third answered. "Even though she was disguised as a boy, I could tell with one glance. Look at the clear, womanly eyes."
The girls grinned, admiring the extremely uncomfortable looking Haruhi, "Really she is a diamond in the rough!"
"Look at this skin! So clear!"
Tamaki sprung to the rescue, "Wait, you're mistaken! I swear this kid is a boy!" he reached for Haruhi.
"What are you touching barbarian?!" the girl they called Rose-sama shielded her, hitting Tamaki as he attempted to grab for Haruhi.
He backpedaled, holding a hand to his abused chin, as the rest of the club members surrounded him, holding him back, "You dare hit me?! Try that again you violent bastard!" he flailed, "Who are you anyway? You're not from Ouran, are you?!"
The violent woman laughed, "That's right..."
There was a shuffle of clothes as the three discarded their disguises.
'Uh, what?' Kiiro was getting a little lost in the drama.
They posed in different uniforms, long red skirts and flowing, white shirts with matching red trim and long, cream bows at their chests.
"St. Lobelia academy, second year, Benio Amakusa!" the third announced.
"Same school, second year, Chizuru Maihara." the first.
"Same school, first year, Hinako Tsuwabuki." the second.
"St. Lobelia Girl's Academy's, "White Lily Group"," Benio held out her hand, "A.K.A The Zuka Club."
There was a pause filled with shocked silence, in which Haruhi retreated to a safe distance.
'Ah, yes, another flamboyant club.' Kiiro chuckled.
The Twins's loud laughter filled the room.
'It is rather laughable.' Kiiro chuckled.
The Twins were inconsolable, they held their sides and tears slid down their faces.
"A woman's beauty. That is the internal beauty and power." Chizuru started, clasping her hands before her face. "A pure soul that doesn't lose to physical desires."
""Because you're a woman." "You're only a woman." I am sick and tired of man's coercive degradation of women." Hinako went on.
"We are proud... Because our souls have an equal relationship made possible by being the same sex in the same environment. Even when..." Benio pulled the other two. "...it's a romantic relationship."
"Please go away." the Twins ordered, tired of laughing, having turned their attention to a video game.
By this time the boys had changed into their normal clothes and all of the clients had left.
"My, my, you must be at a loss for words at our sublime love." Hinako smiled.
"Aw, how unfortunate." Chizuru laughed. "It seems they don't know what to do since their specialty host techniques don't work on us."
"I'm rather certain they don't care." Kiiro stated in explanation.
"Hm?" Chizuru turned to her, her eyes lit up. "Ah, what a lovely lady." she approached her. "You stayed behind? Could it be that you are under the cruel spell of these wicked men as well?" she placed a hand on her face, caressing her cheek.
"Ah-um..." Kiiro reddened, awkwardly backing away from her contact.
Chizuru smiled, "Don't be so shy, maiden. You have such beautiful eyes. Why hide them behind these glasses?" she reached to remove Kiiro's glasses.
"Because she needs them to see..." Kyouya placed a hand on Kiiro's shoulder, he grinned at Chizuru, who crossed her arms and called him rude, before tugging Kiiro to the other corner of the room.
"Thank you." she chirped.
"I don't know if it's because the club president is a halfer..." Benio murmured. "Using good looks to pile false love to mock a pure girl's heart. That right there is degradation of women." she accused. "It's not enough that you must appease your greed while using this club as a front! But, to lure in these pure female students, you guys are beyond despicable!" she pointed at the hosts. "I swear! I will immediately shut down garbage like this Host Club!"
"I get it now..." Kyouya intoned. "But since the club president is now lying down due to the culture shock, would you mind coming back next time? Yes?" he stood next to the sofa, gesturing to where Tamaki lie, sleeping.
"Tama-chan went nighty nighty~!"
"Kids need sleep to grow up."
"Drag him up right now!" Benio demanded.
"Uhm..." Haruhi returned to the group carrying a tray of hot coffee cups. "I made some coffee. You want some?" she asked them.
"Thank you, how can you be so sweet?"
"You're a rose in a trash can."
"Why don't us women have a cozy little tea party?"
The Zuka Club fawned.
That woke Tamaki up. He ran over to them, yanking Haruhi away.
"You guys are under the wrong impression about something! What kind of productivity is there when women make love to each other? Then, why did god create Adam and Eve?"
Hinako nonchalantly poured hot coffee on his hand.
"Waaa!" he cried, blowing on his scalded hand while Mori ran off to fetch cold water.
"As long as I know the situation here, I can't leave these kids somewhere like here!" Benio declared. "Start processing as transfers as transfers to Lobelia this instant! I'm taking these girls into the Zuka Club!"
'Don't I get a say in this?'
Haruhi looked just as astounded, "Wait, wait a minute! I think you're misunderstanding something here. Like how the history of this club is short."
"No, it's true that it's short. It's only the second year since the founding." Hikaru corrected.
"The president created it when he came up to High School." Kaoru stated.
"I never even hear rumors about Tamaki-senpai being a half-blood," Haruhi continued unphased.
"But Tamaki is a half-blood~. He is half French and half Japanese~." Hani interjected.
"And you mentioned being greedy, but it's not like we're receiving any payments from the clients." Haruhi added a little defeated.
"It's a points system," Kyouya opposed, checking his laptop. "We make preferential accommodations based on the purchase price at the club's internet auctions. Oh yeah, look at this Haruhi. The winning bid for the mechanical pencil you threw away was thirty-thousand yen. Nice, huh?"
"I thought I lost that!"
"I never knew any of this before! No one ever told me we received money this way!"
"Didn't think that we go through all this just for community service, did you? Event expenses, plus costume expenses, plus the client's food, etc," Kyouya explained. "There's not even that much profit, 99% expense."
"That doesn't give you the right to steal someone else's things and sell them! Thief!"
"We didn't steal them it was dropped." The twins stated.
Haruhi glared at them as they tried their best to look nonchalant.
"I'm so sorry, Haruhi! It wasn't hidden intentionally!" Tamaki bawled. "Here! I'll give you my mechanical pencil!"
"I don't need it, not anymore."
"If you feel bad about it, I'll even reveal the secrets to my birth! And my seventeen years of heart-breaking memories!"
'That's odd.'
"No, among all the things that I learned for the first time today, that's probably the best thing I've heard," Haruhi said, annoyed. "It's only that, since you're so obsessive over Japanese culture, it never occurred to me that you were a half-blood."
"Poor girl... It's a shock that you've been fooled all this time, right?"
"Get rid of these punks now and come join us."
"Aaah, let's wait a little, Daisy. Since Haruhi received such a jolt today." The Lobelia girls crowded.
"Our invitation also stands for you, Miss." Chizuru kissed the back of Kiiro's hand.
She awkwardly smiled in response.
"We'll come back tomorrow. We'll be expecting good news." They exited.
"I'll call it a day here, too." Haruhi left, an evil look in her eye.
"How can you just tell her the truth? Now it's like pouring oil into the fire!" Kaoru screeched.
"The truth is the truth, no reason to hide it." Kyouya reasoned.
"I think selling the mechanical pencil was the last straw for her..." Hani had big tears in his eyes.
"It might have been an heirloom from her mother..."
"No, there was some store's ad clearly printed on it."
"I don't think I've ever seen a look as scary as that." Kiiro put a hand to her lips.
"Are you sure, Kiiro-senpai?" the Twins said flatly, recalling when they got in trouble at the Satou's Gala not too long ago.
"C'mon guys... think about it," Tamaki wandered over to the window. "Even if you take into account Haruhi's blunt personality, she does have a tendency to prefer men's clothes. Furthermore, she even said this before, "It doesn't feel that bad when all the girls are fluttering around me." That, "I think I might after all have some skills in that area." How could I have not realized it until now. Perhaps for her, instead of the Host Club wouldn't the Zuka Club be more suitable?" he hid his face.
The fact hit them like a bolt of lightning.
"Haruhi's gonna transfer?" Hani cried.
"And with Haruhi's brains, she would have absolutely no problems passing Lobelia's scholarship test." The Twins fretted.
"And, if it was Lobelia, they would pay off her eight million yen debt." Kyouya stated.
"Everyone calm down just listen to me!" King ordered, he struck an "action pose". "I have an idea! Kiiro!"
"Yes, sir?" she chirped.
'This is... ridiculous!' Kiiro tried to keep from laughing out loud.
When the doors were opened, there was a scene that would make even the Zuka Club's hearts flutter.
"Welcome."
The three Zukas and Haruhi went straight-faced.
Awaiting them in the Music Room, the hosts dressed in fancy suits with n abundance of feathers and extravagant tassels and frills. With the exception of the Twins and Hani, who boasted large curly wigs, and puffy dresses outfitted with bows and ribbons.
"Oh, Haruhi, come in, come in." The Twins said in high-pitched voices.
Kiiro tried not to laugh.
"Haru-chan, Haru-chan, look I'm a princess~! How do I look~?" Hani fluttered.
Kiiro stifled her chuckle.
"What the hell is this, are you insulting our culture?" Benio accused.
"Insult, no way," Tamaki corrected he stood, arms open. "This is all according to my calculations. A secret life-and-death recipe that, for commoners, would even make a crying baby stop crying. The strategy of... Two Birds with One Stone! Ladies who grew up in the greenhouse of Lobelia might have a difficult time comprehending this, but commoners are always weak at "free extras"." Tamaki pointed out. "Admittedly, Haruhi can feel an attraction to the Zuka Club, MAIS! but, if you choose our club, in addition to niichans, neechans are included as a free extra. Along with the Host Club, you can taste the atmosphere."
"Haruhi, Haruhi, look at this isn't it pretty? Haruhi?" Tamaki assaulted her with his feather mantle. Haruhi fell down. "You damn tail feathers!"
"Haruhi, how is it?" Hikaru asked.
"Who's prettier, your dad or us? Please tell us." Kaoru asked.
Kiiro clamped her mouth shut.
"You can call me neechan...~" Hani said sweetly.
Kiiro bit her lip.
"You think Haruhi will fall for that kind of trick?" Benio asked. "Even immaturity has..."
Haruhi started laughing, "I did keep thinking to myself, stupid... stupid but... This... this is the limit. Just what are you doing?"
"Is that funny?" The neechans asked.
Kiiro gave in. She started laughing with Haruhi.
"Haruhi..."
"I'm sorry. There are a kinds of people in the world, and I think that your attitude in life is unique and interesting, but..." Haruhi told Benio. "There is a dream that I want to accomplish... That's why I enrolled here in Ouran. So, ever since the beginning, I never had any thoughts of quitting here."
Everyone was overjoyed.
"Then, what about you, Miss?" Chizuru asked.
"Well, I couldn't bear to leave these guys, sorry."
"I see, Benio..."
"Yeah, I know... I will not give up Haruhi. I swear! Without fail, I will save you and destroy this Host Club garbage!" They made their showy exit.
"I guess all this effort was for nothing Kiiro-senpai." the Twins huffed.
"Yeah, it was fun dressing you two in drag, though."
They stuck their tongues out at her.
"I'm so glad you didn't leave~!" Hani said.
"Me, too." Kiiro smiled down at him.
"We all knew you wouldn't~."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, because Kyo-chan's here~. And Kir-chan wouldn't leave him here~."
Kiiro blushed, "No, I suppose I wouldn't."
Hani chuckled.