Ouran High School Courtyard

The Morning before the School Festival

8:00 a.m.

"Hiya!"

Tamaki requested that the Host Club should hold a Parade for the School Festival so Kyouya rented a carriage for them to use.

"Wow, Suzu-sempai! I didn't know you could ride like that!" Hikaru cheered on his sempai as she rode one of the horses through an obstacle course.

"Was it really that good?" Suzu smiled sheepishly as she slowed down and got off the horse for it to be attached to the carriage.

"Yeah! That was amazing!" Kaouru chimed in.

"C'mon you two! You don't want to get left behind now do you?" Hani sat on the carriage as Mori secured the belts on the horse "We're going to have a rehearsal Parade for tomorrow!"

Kaouru and Suzu both hopped into the carriage. Hani and Suzu in one side and Kaouru on the other.

"Kaouru! Get over here!" Hikaru said from the driver's seat gesturing Kaouru to practice with him.

"Nah. I'd rather sit here and enjoy the ride." Kaouru declined "And besides, I'll just get in Mori-sempai's way."

"Suit yourself, then." Hikaru looked at Mori expectantly waiting for his instructions.

The carriage stared moving a little rough at first but Hiakru got the hang of it after a while with Mori's help.

"So sempai" Kaouru faced Suzu "Where'd you learn to ride like that?"

"Yeah, Suzu-chan! I never knew ojiisan let you do stuff like that!" Hani piped in.

"Well… remember those few years I spent in London?" Suzu started narrating "You see-"

"I hope you won't mind that I sit in on this?" Tamaki scootched over to Kaouru's side.

The carriage just stopped momentarily to pick up Tamaki and was off.

"Good Morning, Tamaki-kun." Suzu greeted.

"Morning, sempai." Tamaki smiled as usual "So where were we?"

"Suzu-sempai turned out to be a really good equestrienne so we asked her how she got that talent."

"Ahh. Please continue then, sempai." Tamaki said with interest.

"Alright then." Suzu started narrating "As a junior high student, I spent a few years in London for my treatments."

"Treatments?" Hikaru, Kaouru and Tamaki said in union.

"Suzu-chan was very sickly as a child." Hani answered for her "Then suddenly, her condition became critical so she had to fly to London to get better."

"Yeah." Mori agreed.

"Really? I had no idea, sempai." Tamaki said sympathetically.

"Hikaru, Kaouru, do you both remember the time when you asked me about my short hair?" Suzu closed her eyes to remember that memory "It was because of the treatments. My long hair became a nuisance to them, you see, so they cut it short. But the treatment was a success and I'm recuperating now so my hair should grow back normally."

"…" The twins kept quiet but still paid attention.

"Anyway, going back to the topic, I was always in the hospital there. Bed-ridden most of the times but still alive." Suzu chucked mostly to herself but everyone just kept quiet " So one day, one of the doctors advised me to take on horse-back riding as a little hobby. Not the sport though. He simply said that I should just let the horse carry me for my walks outside. He said that it would be good for me to have some fresh air and something to be with."

"Oh. I see." Tamaki nodded "So when you got better, you started getting serious about it."

"No, not really. I just like to do it since it keeps my mind off things most of the time."

"There, There!" Hikaru said from the driver's seat as he stopped the carriage.

"Not bad. I can let you be on your own now." Mori complimented.

"Look, there's Haruhi and Kyouya." Suzu pointed.

"REALLY? WHERE?"

Ouran High School Salon

Opening Ceremony

8:30 a.m.

"Tamaki…" Suzu sighed as she heard Tamaki yelp in pain as he fell from the chandelier after hearing his father's orders.

"You have all the right to do that." Kyouya stood beside Suzu as he surveyed the salon. "Hmm? That's rare."

"What is, Kyouya-kun?" Suzu asked.

"My father came. I've always thought that he's too busy." Kyouya pushed up his glasses.

"Really? That's awfully nice of him." Suzu stood in front of Kyouya and fixed his suit and bowtie "You should look nice in front of your father since he's come all this way, ne?"

"I suppose." Kyouya mumbled.

"You don't sound too happy about it." Suzu pouted "We'll soon fix that."

After tidying up the youngest Ootori, Suzu made him turn around and pushed him to where his father stood.

Kyouya sighed and smiled at his enthusiastic sempai and made his way towards his father.

"What was that all about, Suzu-chan?" Hani asked as he skipped beside her.

"I was just giving Kyouya a little boost." Suzu smiled cheerfully "I thought he needed to-"

SLAP!

Haruhi: "Kyouya-sempai!"

"Kyouya-kun!" Suzu ran towards him and picked up his glasses that flew off "Are you alright?"

"Wasting time in such silly activities" Kyouya's father scolded "Are you trying to put me to shame?"

Kyouya stood respectfully as his father left.

"Kyouya! You okay?" Tamaki asked as the rest of the host club followed.

"What a scary papa…" the twins shivered holding each other.

"Yeah… hitting someone with glasses like that…" Hani commented.

"He hit you because you were in the host club?" Haruhi said from beside Tamaki..

"It's nothing." Kyouya brushed past Tamaki "It was in my predictions anyway."

"Kyouya-kun, wait!" Suzu ran after him "Let me treat your cheek."

Ouran High School Salon

Back Room

8:40 a.m.

"I'm sorry." Suzu murmured as she dabbed a cloth on Kyouya's bruised cheek "I'm very sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Suzu-sempai." Kyouya said as he sat on a chair while Suzu crouched by his side as she treated his bruise.

"But if I hadn't pushed you into greeting him then-"

"I would still have gone and done so even without you telling me. So there is no need for you to apologize."

Suzu stayed quiet as she stood and kept the first aid kit.

Kyouya sat still on his chair with his glasses off and an arm resting on the table beside him. His bangs covered his eyes from Suzu's sight as she approached him quietly.

"Your father seems very strict…" Suzu said out of the blue "It must be difficult for you… having three other elder siblings that seem to be very competitive… and with your father pressuring the youngest mem-"

"What is it that you would like to achieve in this conversation, sempai?" Kyouya said sternly obviously trying to hold back the irritation in his voice.

"*sigh* Well…" Suzu stood closer to the younger Ootori and embraced him making his head rest on her stomach "I just want you to enjoy yourself, Kyouya-kun. I said those things because I wanted you to know that none of what your father says about you matters. Here, you'll always be Mama Kyouya. To me and the rest of the Host Club."

A comforting silence remained in the room as Suzu stood with Kyouya in her arms.

The young man relaxed in his senior's hold and returned the embrace as he held her tighter and tighter in each passing second. Soft cracks and sobs emanating from him.

Ouran High School Salon

Host Club is now closed

5:00 p.m.

"I had no idea." Haruhi sat by the indoor fountain as she took in all the sudden information.

"Tamaki had a tragic past. But that is what made the man we see today." Kyouya ended.

"I can somehow relate to him though." Suzu stood with Mori's arm around her "Not being able to see people that you love for a long time."

*door opens*

"Tama-chan!" Hani squeaked.

"Everyone, I have an important announcement to make." Tamaki stood with an empty gaze "Starting today onwards, I will be engaged to Miss Éclair Tonerre here and after the Ouran School Festival, the Host Club will be officially dissolved. That is all."

'No.'

Story end! If you're wondering why Suzu just explained her past now, it's because she wasn't as close to the Host Club then. Get it? Anyway, I've decided to take rawrmonster13's (thanks again! You rock!) advice on writing sub-stories while I write my main one to make it easier for the readers and myself. So it's in my profile if you want to check it out and it's a one-shot so yeah. Hope I didn't make any mistakes this time, too!

Edited! Kyouya crying idea © Kuramasredredrose