Chapter Four: The Sweet Rebel is Born
Time seemed to stand still as Kaoru, Kyouya and Kai sat frozen in their places staring at Mori, eyes wide in shock. The senior kept his gaze at the long-haired girl sitting on the bed, and his face got paler and paler by the second. "Y-you're-" he stuttered, leaning back against the doorframe.
"M-Mori-sempai! We can explain!" Kaoru suddenly exclaimed, waving Usa-chan in the air frantically. "It's not what it looks like! I mean, it is, but. . " he glanced back at the shadow king.
"This was too unexpected." Kyouya sighed, standing up and walking over to Mori calmly. He then whispered something into the senior's ear and looked at Kai, who was placing her wig back on her head awkwardly. "Alright?"
Mori sighed and nodded.
"Gomen, Mori-sempai." Kai said softly. "I didn't mean to surprise you like that."
"There's nothing to be sorry about." he smiled, receiving Usa-chan from the younger Hitachiin. "It's my fault for not knocking in the first place."
"You. . won't tell anyone, would you?" she asked nervously.
"I'm not in the position to do so. In any case, I can sort of understand why you're doing this." He then bowed and left the room.
Kaoru breathed out and sat back on the foot of her bed. "You were lucky he was the one who came in and not tono, or Hunny." he said, looking at her.
"I guess I am." she giggled. "Mori-sempai's surprisingly open-minded."
"Well, that describes Hunny-sempai more." Kyouya smiled, bringing out his suddenly vibrating cellphone. "Mori-sempai's more of. . level-headed, I suppose. He's calm enough to just take in things as they are, so you can trust him with your secret." he then excused himself to answer the call.
"He doesn't seem to talk very much though." she mumbled.
"His actions speak louder than his words. Everyone likes him that way." Kaoru grinned. "The only time he actually shows some emotions is when he's sleepy."
"Sleepy?"
"I suggest you don't try to find out why, Kai-chan." Kyouya sighed, placing his phone back into his pocket. "He was sleepy during club once, and he nearly gave Tamaki a heart attack when he started to flirt with me and Haruhi."
She sweatdropped.
"I remember that day." Kaoru chuckled. "What did you tell him anyway, sempai? That Kai-kun's actually a girl?"
"Ah." he nodded, walking over to the closet and putting on his blazer. "And a little something else. But then again, that's for us to know and for you two to stay out of."
"A-are you leaving already?" Kai asked.
"Yeah, it was Hunny-sempai who just called. Apparently, our king's still downstairs causing a scene because Haruhi and Hikaru left without him. I don't want him creating any trouble at my father's hospital so I'll be going on ahead first. I have to get back to school and study my team's investigation reports anyway." he smiled, opening the door and looking back at Kaoru. "I'll come back in around twenty minutes to pick you up. Until then, just accompany Kai-chan, alright? I'll let the staff know that you're staying here longer."
"Sure." he waved.
-door closes-
"King?" Kai asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He means Tamaki-sempai" Kaoru replied, pulling a chair over beside her bed. "Me and Hikaru prefer to call him 'tono' though."
"So I've heard." she grinned. "Why does sempai attach himself to Fujioka-san so much anyway? Are they related or something? He even called her his 'darling daughter' the other day. . "
"Ah, tono likes to think of the club as something like a family. It only started when Haru-kun joined us though."
"Mamagoto, eh?"
"Something like that." he smiled. " Except that tono's the otousan, Kyouya-sempai's the okaasan, Me and Hikaru are the sons, and Haruhi's the daughter."
"And how about Hunny-sempai and Mori-sempai?"
"I'm not sure. . " he paused, looking up to think. "I guess they would be sons too, but that would make our parents younger than them. . "
She giggled. "Sound like fun."
"It is. Believe me. And you're going to be a part of it now that you're in the host club."
"So. . what, am I gonna be a son, or a daughter?"
"Most likely a son."
"Glad to know." she smiled, rolling her eyes.
xoxoxoxoxo
xoxoxoxoxo
"Tamaki, get up." Kyouya called out, walking out of the lobby and over to the blonde. "What the hell do you think you're doing to my family's property, anyway?"
"Making an open-air aquarium." Tamaki replied gloomily, adding some stones and fishes to the fountain outside. "No one would care anyway." he pouted. "I'm just someone whom anyone can ignore and leave behind easily."
"You know, being emo doesn't really suit you." the shadow king sighed, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him up. "And didn't Hunny-sempai and Mori-sempai offer to give you a ride home?"
"They did." Tamaki replied, letting his friend drag him away from the fountain. "But they suddenly left me too."
"That's because their limo was causing a traffic outside while waiting for you. Of course they had to leave." Kyouya mumbled, tossing him into his own limo like a rag doll. "I'll give you a ride home so stop sulking, alright?"
The blonde merely nodded and looked at him with large, glassy eyes gratefully.
He sighed and pushed a pillow against the idiotic face Tamaki was giving him.
"Baka."
xoxoxoxoxo
xoxoxoxoxo
"Ne, Kaoru-san," Kai started, staring out of the windows boredly. "Why did you tell Hikaru-san and Fujioka-san to go on ahead without you?"
"Why're you asking me this all of a sudden?" he asked, looking at her.
"Just curious." she smiled. "I mean, I know you had to stay for a few more minutes to tell me that you knew I was a girl, but you could've just let them wait for you outside, right?"
He put on a hurt look. "What, you don't want me here?" he asked with teary eyes and pouty cheeks.
"No, no, I don't mind you staying here." She sweatdropped, putting her hands up. "You just looked like you wanted to be with your brother, that's all."
Kaoru's eyes widened for a second before he paused and grinned. She blushed and looked away. "S-sorry. Was I wrong?"
"Not really." he smiled, sitting down on the foot of her bed. "I don't really mind leaving Hikaru's side as long as he's with Haruhi. The best way for him to step out of the small world we share together is probably for him to spend more time with Haru-kun; and they're good friends, anyway, so I've got nothing to worry about."
"If you say so. ." she said, laying back down and wincing a little from the stinging pain on her shoulder.
"You alright?" he asked, walking over and helping her lie back down. "Does it hurt?"
"Only when I move it." she mumbled bitterly, biting her lip as the pain subsided. "This is going to take some time to get used to."
"I'll bet." he smiled, stepping back.
"Thanks."
"Wanna tell me why your hair's white on the ends?" Kaoru suddenly asked, glancing at Kai's hair curiously. "Even though you hide your hair with your wig, the first thing anyone would see when you let it down is the white part. What happened?"
"You sure are random." she grinned. "It's nothing really. Last weekend, I went out to visit my former junior high teacher, and we stayed in my old school's science lab since she had to observe some on-going experiment at the same time. When she was going to serve me some tea, she accidentally bumped onto one of the shelves containing jars of chemicals, and one of them fell off. I pushed her out of its way just in time, but another jar fell off the shelf, right onto my head, and she said it was just some kind of bleach that wasn't toxic. So, she let me use the sink to rinse it off; but because my hair's long, the ends ended up swimming in the chemical-filled water and I didn't notice it until after I got to work."
"Your teacher didn't notice it?"
"I guess not. My boss did, though. Though I think that's also one of the reasons why he bought me this wig."
"He has good tastes. You don't look half-bad wearing it." he smirked. "If I hadn't known that you were a girl, I probably would've felt threatened by now."
"You're exaggerating." she laughed. "But to be honest, I didn't even know how I looked like with the wig on until after I got home from school the other day. When I did, I could sort of understand why some of the girls at school were acting the way they were."
"Didn't expect to have such an effective look, huh?" he grinned.
Kai grinned back and nodded. "Yeah, I was extremely handsome." she said dramatically.
Kaoru laughed at this. "If I knew better, I would say that you're enjoying pretending to be a guy."
She smiled. "I am! It's kind of weird, I know, but it's way better than being treated like some weak, depending ditz guys used to do to me and my friends back in junior high just because we were girls. Now, I find it comforting to have people treating me like a guy -even though I'm not- and it's kind of amusing when girls talk to me with big, sparkling eyes. "
"I kind of know that feeling" he smiled back.
Kai playfully threw her pillow at him. "That's coz' you're already a hearthrob guy" she grinned.
Kaoru threw the pillow back at her. "So are you. And you're not even a guy." he smirked.
She shrugged and placed the pillow back under her head. "Whatever, it's fun anyway." She then faced Kaoru and placed her hands together in a pleading position. "Please don't let anyone know that I'm a girl, Kaoru-san. I really need this scholarship and the school might kick me out if they find out."
"Sure. You aren't the only one in this position anyway." he smiled, mumbling the last part. She relaxed and thanked him.
"By the way, there's no need to use honorifics. Just plain 'Kaoru' is fine." he grinned.
"Alright, but using honorifics is a bit of a habit for me."
"Kaoru-kun then. How about you? What do you want me to call you?'
"People usually just call me Kai-chan. The only one who calls me by my name alone is my boss." she smiled.
"I'll go with Kai-chan then." he smiled.
"Whatever you're comfortable with. Want some?" she asked, holding up the box with the single slice of cake inside.
"Sure. Got an extra fork?"
She set the box down in front of his head and he sat up, taking a spare fork from her hand.
"Itadakimasu!" they said in unison, taking a piece of the cake at the same time.
xoxoxoxoxo
xoxoxoxoxo
The next day. . .
-the host club is now open-
"Tamaki-sama, I baked some cookies for you. Would you like to try some? They're light, and sweet, just the way you like them."
"Of course, princess. But I don't think they would be as sweet as you are." The girl gasped when Tamaki lifted her chin and stared straight into her eyes. "Or would you prefer it if you let me try you instead?"
"Kyaa~! Tamaki-sama!" guests all around the room screamed in delight, watching as the said host entertained the lucky girl next to him.
Kyouya smirked and continued to type away in his laptop, pleased with the performance their king was doing.
"I heard that the host club's recruited someone new to be Haruhi-kun's partner, is that true?" he heard one of the girls from Hunny's and Mori's table ask.
"I think it's the freshman who saved Sakura-san and her friends the other day." her companion replied, tilting her head.
"It is!" Hunny said cheerfully, bouncing up and down in front of them with Usa-chan in his arms. "He's the one who got this semester's scholarship, so he and Haru-chan have a lot in common!"
"Shukatchi Kai." Mori stated, shifting his position so the blonde could sit on his shoulders.
"No way~!?" a girl suddenly exclaimed, looking up from Haruhi's place. "Kai-kun's also going to be a part of the host club?"
"This is great! Kai-kun's really smart and cool-looking, even if he's just a commoner. He reminds me of another Haruhi-kun!" another squeeled, hugging the arm of the brown-haired host.
Kaoru smiled and walked over to where Kyouya was and sat down across him. The latter smiled back and stopped typing; curling his hand just below his chin and leaning forward to look at the younger Hitachiin expectantly.
"You were right." he sighed, sitting back and crossing his legs. "Kai-chan's already been accepted by almost everyone here despite the fact that she's only been to school for two days."
"It's only natural for this to happen." the shadow king replied. "After all, he did save the life of a real princess. And her friends."
"Ah. Tono told me that they wanted to be his first designators. She starts today, right?"
"The hospital released her early, so yes."
"Will she be okay? Her shoulder wound looked really bad."
"I'm sure she'll be fine. Tachibana[1] just informed me that she left the hospital around ten minutes ago, so she should be here any time now."
"Oh, alright then, great." Kaoru smiled, standing up. "I'll be getting back to my next guest then."
"Sure." Kyouya smiled back, watching him go as the conversation between the guests went on.
"My younger sister who's in the same batch told me that he got into an accident the other day, saving three of Tamaki-sama and Kyouya-sama's classmates."
"Ehh? Really? Is he alright?"
"Didn't they say that he was brought to the hospital?"
"What? Oh no! Poor Kai-kun!"
"How bad was he hurt?"
"I hope his face wasn't harmed. . "
Kyouya stiffled a laugh as Tamaki tried to bring his customer's attention to him and resumed his work, typing away on his laptop. 'If my calculations are correct, Kai-chan should be arriving in about five seconds. .' he thought to himself, glancing down at his watch.
5. .
4. .
3. .
"Is Kai-kun starting today?" a girl asked the two seniors.
"Yep!" Honey smiled.
2. .
Tamaki gave up, his customers were too busy talking about the new host. He stood up and walked over to where the shadow king was sitting and bent down so they were at eye level with each other. "Ne, Kyouya, when's Kai-kun going to be here anyway? It's his first day and he's already late."
Kyouya smirked. "In a second"
1.
The doors slammed open and Kai entered the room, panting from all the running he was doing. "Tamaki-sempai! Sorry I'm late! Takamichi-sempai asked me to run an errand before coming-" he paused, realizing that the girls were staring back at him with MOE-ish smiles on their faces. "-here. . "
"Kai-kun!" Tamaki exclaimed, death-hugging the slim boy. "You're finally here!"
"Yeah, yeah. Get off me" he said plainly, pushing the blond away and facing Kyouya. "Ne, gomen. Takamichi-sempai asked me to deliver some papers to the grade school faculty on the other building."
"It's alright. The ladies who designated you for today are waiting over there." he said, pointing to a table near Haruhi's place. Kai looked over the second year's shoulder and saw the three girls he had saved smiling at him. "Anou, I thought I was going to work with Fujioka-san." he whispered softly.
"You'll be doing designations alone for your first week. Sakura-san and her friends asked to designate you for this afternoon, so do make sure that they enjoy themselves."
"I'll try." he sweatdropped, walking over to his place.
"Kai-kun!" Sakura waved, scooting aside to let the boy sit down.
He smiled at the three of them and sat down. "Nice to see that you're doing alright" he grinned. They all blushed slightly.
"Anou, Kai-kun, How is your shoulder doing?" Mayumi asked, glancing at his shoulder.
"Nothing too serious. It's just a stitch, really." he replied. "The doctor said that as long as I leave it alone for a few more days, it'll be fine."
"I'm eternally grateful to you then, Kai-kun." Sakura smiled, bowing at him. "You saved our lives and even got wounded for us. I'm really sorry for causing you so much trouble. . "
"It's no trouble at all, believe me." he smiled back. "This is nothing compared to what my boss does."
They gasped, and Mori's and Kaoru's ears perked up as they subtly leaned back on their chairs.
"Not to imply that he's a bad person or anything." Kai sweatdropped again. "Boss is an extremely passionate baker, and when he teaches me the things he knows, he gets really strict and punishes me when I make mistakes."
"Can he do that? It sounds like child abuse to me."
"N-not really." he sweatdropped. "He's actually a nice guy; it's just that he takes cooking and baking really seriously. When I first met him, he immediately employed me to work in his cafe, and we gradually became really close over the years."
"Wait, so you mean to say. . ?" Niko trailed off, eyes widening. "Kai-kun, you work?"
He sweatdropped yet again and nodded, and all three of them gasped in horror.
"A working student."
"Kai-kun's an actual working student."
"A living proof of people fighting against poverty sits before us.."
Blue lines appeared over the two commoners' heads and they glanced at each other.
"So, where do you and your boss work at, Kai-kun?" Niko asked again, completely intrigued.
"A-ah. We work in a small cafe near my house, around twenty minutes away from here." he replied, getting rid of the blue lines in his background.
"Are you related?" they asked in unison. Mori and Kaoru's ears grew bigger.
"No." he sweatdropped, scooting away from them discreetly. "He's more of a guardian, really. And we don't live together."
"Eh?" Sakura blinked, looking at him with big, glassy eyes. "Then Kai-kun lives alone? Where are your parents then?"
All the hosts stopped what they were doing and stared at the boy, who looked slightly surprised at the abruptness of the question.
"Ah." he smiled gently, sitting back. "They died when I was really young. I had to live with my aunt for a few years after, until I moved to this city for junior high."
They all glanced at each other and Kyouya waved them off, making them resume their host duties.
"We're sorry." The three girls said, looking down sadly. "We asked something personal. . "
"No, no. It's alright." he grinned, giving them a thumbs up before changing the subject. "So tell me about yourselves. You're Tamaki-sempai and Kyouya-sempai's classmates, right?"
"Ah." Niko smiled. "We were classmates ever since middle school. Sakura-san only transferred here last year though."
"My father feared for my safety just after I graduated from middle school, so he sent me to my mother's homeland, Japan, so I could live a normal high school life." Sakura smiled.
"Eh? Sakura-san's a foreigner?" Kai asked, eyes widening. "I couldn't tell!"
"You don't know who Sakura-san is?" Niko and Mayumi asked in unison, blinking at the boy, surprised. He shook his head innocently and looked at the said girl with a question mark appearing over his head.
"Kinomoto Sakura-san." Kyouya smiled, walking over to them. "Her father and her brother rule the Clow country located in the middle of a desert. Have you heard of it, Kai-kun?"
"I can't say I have." he replied, scratching his head embarrassedly. "I only know about deserts in countries, but not countries in deserts. . "
"I don't blame you." Sakura smiled. "It's a really small country, smaller than Singapore, actually. Even I have a hard time looking for it on the map."
They laughed lightly and suddenly, out of nowhere, the word 'Realization' suddenly dropped over the boy's head heavily. "AAAHH?!?!" he cried out, blushing deeply and gawking at the girl next to him. "S-S-So then, Sakura-sempai is a p-princess?!"
The three giggled and nodded.
"And Niko-san and Mayumi-san are cousins." Kyouya chuckled. "Their fathers are brothers, and they run one of the biggest electronics company in East and Southeast Asia."
"Y-you don't s-say." he sweatdropped, looking at the three girls. "I had no idea at all. . So, does Sakura-san live alone too?"
"I'm staying here with my bodyguard." Sakura smiled.
"That's what she always says." Niko grinned, sending the former a teasing grin. "But Li-kun's obviously more than a bodyguard to you, am I right?"
"W-we're childhood friends." she blushed, looking down. "Of course I'd see him as more than a bodyguard."
"Mmhmm."
"Anyway," Mayumi coughed, saving Sakura from Niko's teasings and changing the topic once more. "We all saw how you fought those two drunkards off, Kai-kun. But no matter how much I try to think about it, I just can't tell what you were doing. It was like Judo and Taekwondo at the same time."
"Oh, I don't have a categorized fighting style." he grinned. "Since my part-time job ended at night, my boss got worried for my safety when I would go home alone. So, he taught me how to defend myself for two hours everyday after we closed the cafe. According to him, it's either I 'build up my defensive muscles or get beaten up'."
"Woah, your boss really cares for you, doesn't he?"
"I guess he does." he smiled. "I was surprised to know that he knew self-defense. I've admired him ever since."
"Maybe you should spar with Mori-sempai or Hunny-sempai." Niko suggested. "To see how well your boss trained you."
"I'd love to!" Hunny exclaimed, suddenly appearing behind Kai. Mori walked over calmly.
"H-Hunny-sempai?" the boy sweatdropped, looking back at the shorter senior. "Where'd you come from?"
"Our guests just left so me and Takashi are free now." he smiled. "I heard it. And I wanna see it too, Kai-chan's fighting style."
"I only fight for self-defense. . " he sweatdropped again.
"But demonstrations are okay to do, right?" Sakura smiled.
"Please, Kai-chan?" Hunny asked, giving him the puppy-dog eyes. [2]
Kai blushed before groaning inwardly. 'Shimatta. . The cuteness is getting to me. . '
"Are you alright, Kai-kun? You're look a bit flushed." Niko pointed out, placing a hand over his forehead.
"I-I'm fine." he smiled, standing up and removing his blazer. He then faced Hunny while scratching the tip of his nose shyly. "I guess a demo-fight's alright to do. . But go easy on me, alright sempai?"
The blonde's face brightened up and he nodded, handing Sakura his Usa-chan. Everyone else in the room stopped what they were doing to watch the two as Mori stood in between them. He looked at both fighters and stepped back. "You have two minutes to try and force the other down. Whoever can make his opponent lie on his back until the two minutes are over, wins."
They both nodded.
"Then, Begin."
~.~.~
Kai immediately jumped away just as Hunny threw two shurikens at her and landed sideways on the post, surprised that she actually saw his attack. She then lept off the vertical structure and aimed a kick at his chest, but he easily defended himself by grabbing onto her ankle, and whirled around to toss her aside. She made a backflip in midair and landed on the ground safely, reaching down to grab the shurikens he had previously thrown at her. Hunny then appeared behind her, attempting to knock her out with a karate chop; but she ducked below just as his hand was about to collide with her head, and swooped her leg around causing him to fall backward. Without any hesitation, she leapt up into the air and tossed one of the shurikens at him, but he merely turned his body around to avoid it and somersaulted across the room skillfully.
They both landed a few feet away from each other, breathing slightly hard, and smiling. Hunny then leapt forward without warning and immediately appeared in front of Kai's' face, surprising the girl. She crossed her arms in front of her, blocking his continuous attacks, and winced when her shoulder suddenly sent out a jolt of pain throughout her torso. Biting her lip, she jumped away and dodged another throw of shurikens, just before Hunny leapt up after her. They then began to attack each other midair for a few seconds before jumping back onto the solid ground, where she quickly loosened her tie and sprinted off to the right. The blonde eyed her movements carefully and followed her to the corner of the room, where she suddenly ran up the wall and made another backflip so she landed right behind him.
He quickly swung his foot around, aiming for her head, but she stretched the tie in front of her and caught it just in time. He gasped when she began to criss-cross the cloth around his calve and tried to kick her away, but she avoided his attack (barely) and jumped back. He yelped and retained his balance by hopping on his free leg, but the girl in front of him continued to jump back while pulling onto his captured one. Mori's eyes widened. After a few more jumps and hops, she finally produced the other shuriken and struck it to the ground, still holding onto his leg.
She looked up at Hunny and smiled at him, before taking a step backward. He was forced to hop forward, and he tripped over the weapon, completely losing his balance.
No way.
Kai hurriedly whirled his leg to the side, bringing him along, and pushed him so he fell on his back onto one of the sofas.
~.~.~
"W-what-?" Tamaki stuttered, staring at the boy in surprise.
"Kai-kun wins." Mori stated, smiling inwardly.
The room then erupted into cheers and 'kyaaa's for the victor, who was helping Hunny up from the sofa.
"Gomen, Hunny-sempai." he said softly, unwrapping his tie from the senior's leg. "I didn-"
"Kai-chan, sugoi!" Hunny exclaimed happily, cutting him off. "I didn't expect you to do something like that!"
"W-well, I couldn't let you fall on the ground." he smiled, scratching the tip of his nose once again, shyly. "You might've gotten hurt."
"But though you say that," Kaoru said worriedly, walking over to them. "How about you?"
"Why? What's wrong, Kaoru?" Haruhi asked, looking at him.
"Ohohohohohohoho!" A shrill laughter was then heard all around the room, and all the hosts- except Kai, Mori and Kyouya- sweatdropped.
"Not her again. . " Hikaru grumbled.
Kai sweatdropped alongside the others when a high-powered motor suddenly shook the room and cylindrical spot on the ground with a girl sitting down in the middle of it began to rise up.
"Ohohohohoho Ohohohohoho, ho!" She winked. "The new host has proven himself worthy of our respect! First, he saves three of our schoolmates while nearly sacrificing his own life for them, and now, he manages to defeat our very own Hunny-sempai in a duel!"
"Isn't she in our class?" he whispered to Kaoru, who was staring blankly at the self-proclaimed manager of the host club with blue lines next to his eyes.
"However," she continued, bringing out a tissue and dabbing her eyes with them. "It seems that our Kai-kun himself has failed to notice his own pain, too focused on letting Hunny land safely on his back! Kai-kun, as much as we admire those who are thoughtful for other people, it's not good for you to ignore your own self either!"
"What do you mean?" he asked, looking up at her.
The curtains were suddenly pulled close, darkening the room, and a gigantic flat-screened television lowered from the ceiling. Kai and Haruhi sweatdropped.
5. . . 4. . . 3. . . 2. . . 1. . .
-replay-
Hunny leapt forward without warning and immediately appeared in front of Kai's' face, surprising the boy. He crossed his arms in front of him, blocking the blonde's continuous attacks, and winced when his shoulder suddenly sent out a jolt of pain throughout his torso. Biting his lip, he jumped away and dodged another throw of shurikens, just before Hunny leapt up after him. The sceen zoomed in on his shoulder and everyone in the room saw the exposed badages stretching. The video fast forwarded to the end of the fight and Kai saw that his shoulder was bleeding the moment he tossed Hunny onto the sofa.
The television suddenly blacked out the next second and went back up into the ceiling; while the curtains were drawn open, filling the room with light. The two sweatdropped again.
"Y'know. . you could've just told me that my wound opened." Kai mumbled, looking down at his shoulder.
"Oh my gosh! Kai-kun, you're bleeding!" Mayumi exclaimed worriedly, running over to him with his blazer.
"This is nothing." he smiled, before looking back up at the girl. "I'm sorry, I don't think I've caught your name. You're my classmate, right?"
"I am." she winked. "It's Renge. Houshakuji Renge. I'm the host club's manager."
"Really?"
"Self-proclaimed manager." Hikaru interrupted, glancing her.
"Ah. So you're Renge-san." Kai sweatdropped, glancing at Kaoru, who was nodding his head as if to say, 'she's the one I was talking about yesterday.'
"Kai-kun, you'd better clean yourself up." she smiled, tossing him and new, long-sleeved, button down shirt. "I welcome you to the host club, and I bid you farewell for now. Until the next time we meet! Ohohohohohohohoho! Ohohohohohohoho! Ohohohoho-"
And the ground closed.
Kai grew yet another sweatdrop. "She's. . charming"
"Indeed." Kyouya chuckled, walking over with his notebook in hand. "But she is right. You'd better fix that wound of your before you ruin your uniform with blood again."
"Are you alright?" his three designators asked, looking at him with worried eyes.
"It doesn't hurt that much." he smiled, standing up. "Excuse me for a minute. I'll be right back."
"Gomen, Kai-chan." Hunny apologized. "I forgot you weren't supposed to move your shoulder. . "
"It's alright. I had fun." he grinned, patting the senior's head reassuringly. "Thanks, sempai."
"Well then," the shadow king announced, looking at the rest of the hosts in the eyes. "All of you, your next guests are waiting." he smiled.
They were back in their proper places the next second.
xoxoxoxoxo
xoxoxoxoxo
Two hours later. .
-The host club is now closed.-
"Finally, this day's over. . " Kai sighed, leaning back on his sofa tiredly. "I never knew being a host would be this exhausting. You guys really do this everyday?"
"It's a lot harder than it looks, isn't it?" Haruhi smiled, sitting down next to him. "It's pretty hard during the first few days, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon enough."
"I hope so." he smiled back. "Fujioka-san, you've got a debt here too, right? What did you break?"
"A ten million Rene vase. It was by accident, though."
"Everything here's probably worth ten million then."
"Most likely." she giggled. Kai's brow raised at this but shrugged it off, looking up to see the king walk over to them gracefully.
"Not bad for a first day, eh, Kai-kun?" he smiled, placing both hands on the boy's shoulders. "Besides the whole bleeding shoulder thing, you did a great job in entertaining Sakura-san, Mayumi-san and Niko-san. They've asked to designate you again next week."
"So now, you've got three official designators." Kyouya smiled. "Nine-hundred, ninety-seven left to go."
"Ah. R-really. "You don't say."
"It's a start." Tamaki offered. "But anyway, pushing that aside, now that you're officially a host, we must discuss your host type and give you your permanent rose color."
"H-host type? Rose color?"
"Yes, I- you weren't listening to a word I said before, did you?"
"I-I did! Those were the titles you gave to everyone else in the club." the first year sweatdropped, standing up. "Like you! You're the prince type, right. . ?"
"Yes! Yes! That's exactly what I mean!" the blonde exclaimed excitedly. "That's an example of a host type! And now that you're in the club, you must have your own type as well!"
"What do you want your type to be, Kai-kun?" Haruhi asked.
"I haven't really thought much about it actually." he admitted, scratching the tip of his nose. "You guys make one for me. I mean, you're already good at making up these kinds of things."
"I would ask Renge-chan to help us out, but frankly, I really don't want to." Hikaru shuddered. "She's too zealous when it comes to matters related to the club."
"Anou ne," Hunny chirped, bouncing onto Kai's back playfully. "I think Kai-chan should be the sweet type. He always treats everyone nicely and gives special treatment to the girls, right?"
"N-not really." he said, shifting his position so the senior could ride him piggy-back style. "I used to fight with the bullies in my middle school every single day; and there was also this teacher who I kept arguing with, because she kept on degrading my friend in front of the entire class."
"But that's kind of understandable, right?" the twins shrugged. "We'd probably do the same thing except that Takamichi-sensei and the others are good teachers."
"Okay then, how about the naughty type?" Hunny smiled. "Remember when Renge-chan trained Shirou-kun? She said that the classic line for the naughty types was 'this is nothing.', and Kai-chan said that a lot of times when we asked about his shoulder."
"That may be true, but Shirou-kun's already the naughty type, isn't he?" Haruhi asked. "We might make him feel like Kai-kun's replacing him or something."
"Then maybe we should give Kai-kun a title along the lines of being naughty." Hikaru suggested.
"I'm right here y'know." he pouted, still giving Hunny a ride on his back.
"Then let's see what your guests said about you, shall we?" Kyouya suggested, flipping his notebook open. "According to Sakura-san, you, Kai-kun, were very charming and easy to talk to. Mayumi-san said that you reminded her of Niko-san's younger brother, who got into trouble a lot and kept coming home with new injuries. Niko-san also said that you reminded her of her younger brother: athletic and smart, but accident-prone nonetheless."
"Kai-kun's definitely accident-prone."
"H-hey!" he blushed, looking at them embarrassedly.
"Well, you are."
"On your first day, you got hit by our car on the way to school" - Hikaru
"On your second day, you got that shoulder wound; yesterday, well, you know; and today, your wound opened up again." - Kaoru
"I'm still alive, aren't I?" he pouted in reply. "And I already told you, this wound doesn't hurt that much."
"Though you say that. . "
"I said, I'm fine." he stated, looming over them darkly.
"I know!" Hunny suddenly exclaimed, pulling Kai's head back excitedly. "I've heard okaasan call Chika-chan this for a long time now, and I think it suits Kai-chan perfectly!"
"E-eh?"
"Rebellious?" Mori asked, raising a brow at his cousin.
"Ah!" he smiled in reply. "I think it sort of suits Kai-chan well, don't you?"
"How so?" the said boy asked, looking back at the blonde senior.
"Well, I think being rebellious is kind of sweet in your case, since the only time you act like a rebel's when you're standing up for someone else." he chirped.
"Then it's official!" Tamaki announced, looking pleased. "I like the way Hunny-sempai thinks. Kai-kun, starting today, you are the rebellious type. Or the sweet rebel, whatever suits you. And as for your rose color. . " he trailed off, looking up at the shadow king.
"Well, the only available color we have that isn't being used is the silver one." Kyouya stated, looking through his notes. "There's a whole bunch of them still being grown by the gardening club, and they've been asking when we'll be needing them. I suppose now's a good time."
"A silver rose, eh?" Kai smiled. "Sounds pretty nostalgic to me."
"Ah." Mori agreed quietly. Hunny glanced at him.
"Great!" Tamaki exclaimed, pointing at the boy excitedly. "It's decided! Starting today, you'll be joining the host club family as the Rebellious host, Kai-kun!"
Kai then stood in front of them and watched as silver roses and petals suddenly appeared all over his background with the words 'Shukatchi Kai, class 1-A, the Sweet Rebel type' appearing in front of him. Hunny hugged him from behind and smiled. "Congratulations, Kai-chan."
The boy's eyes widened a bit and blushed lightly when the senior's hand went dangerously close to his chest. Tamaki, however, misunderstood the look and suddenly jumped onto the rebel, rubbing his cheeks against his happily (see episode 24. It's the same cheek-rubbing thing that he gave Kyouya). "I see, I see! Kai-kun, you're this happy to be a part of the club, aren't you? Otousan's happy for you too!"
Kai winced when his shoulder began to ache from the weight on his back and front, and Hunny jumped off.
"Tamaki, you're hurting Kai." Mori stated, pulling the second year away from the boy gently.
"Ah! Gomen, Kai-kun! Did otousan hurt you?" Tamaki asked worriedly. "Did your wound open again?"
"It's fine." Kai smiled, giving Mori a greatful look before shaking his head at the king. "It doesn't hurt as much as it looks like it does, umm, otousan. . "
Tamaki's eyes widened. "Otousan. . ?" he repeated, looking at the his eyes happily. "You called me 'otousan', didn't you?!"
Kai nodded nervously.
The king then cried out something in French and happily pulled the boy into another one of his crazy dances, twirling him around and tossing him in the air. "For the first time, someone in the club actually acknowledges me as the 'otousan'! Well, besides Kyouya, that is. But Kyouya is the 'okaasan' so it's perfectly normal for him to call me that! Kai-kun, as my new son, you've made me extremely happy, and what a blessing it is to have you as one of my children! Oh! And it's only you're first day too! We must have this date recorded immediately! Today, the first Thursday of the second semester of the schoolyear, Shukatchi Kai has accepted his king as the father of the family! Oh, this wonderful feeling of acceptance, how blissful it is! Though I do wonder why Haruhi and those unscrupulous twins had never called me 'otousan' and . . "
"Does Tamaki-sempai always dance around randomly while saying long, unnecessary speeches like this?" Kai asked, jumping away from their king and rubbing his shoulder.
"Yes." they all stated impassively.
"Kai-kun!" the blonde exclaimed, re-grabbing the hands of the new host. "You've made otousan very happy today. And for this, you shall be rewarded! Your debt shall be cut by a third and you shall join us on our road trip this coming weekend to the beach!"
Kai's eyes widened. "R-really?" he stuttered. "Seriously? T-This is great! A-Arigatou sempai!" he cried out happily.
"Yes! That's the spirit!" Tamaki cheered. "We shall pick you up at seven am, sharp! Prepare a suitable amount of clothing for two days and your swimming gear as well."
"Tono, he was referring to his debt" Hikaru and Kaoru smirked. But their king ignored them and continued to explain to the rebel everything that they were going to do on their trip.
"Excuse me for interrupting your moment of happiness, Tamaki." Kyouya said, clamping the blonde's mouth shut. "But I do believe that Kai-kun needs to get going now."
"Your job?" Haruhi asked, looking at the boy.
"Ah. My shift starts in twenty minutes so I really do have to get going." he smiled, grabbing his things from behind the couch.
"Oh, alright." Tamaki said, removing the clamp from his lips. "See you tomorrow, then."
The boy nodded and waved before opening the doors of the third music room.
"Kai-chan~! Let's eat cake together tomorrow!" Hunny exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down on Mori's shoulders. "I'll bring us a lot so we can share!" The stoic senior just smiled at him.
"Okay." he smiled back.
-doors shut close-
"The cake buddies are officially in action." Hikaru smirked.
Kaoru just shrugged and watched as his brother began to tease their king once again with Haruhi in his arms. He then walked over to where Kyouya was standing and handed him back the clamp that Tamaki had on previously. "Ne, Kyouya-sempai" he started, "If Kai's going to the beach with us, how's she going to wear her bathing suit if the others still don't know that she's a girl?"
"She'll figure out a way." the shadow king replied, smiling. "But right now, her mind's probably still focused on the fact that her debt's cut by a third."
Mori then walked over and looked out the window. He saw Kai doing some stunts on her bike subconsciously from all the happiness, and even saw her punched her fist in the air. Smiling, he walked back to where Hunny was sitting and sat down across him.
'She hasn't changed one bit. . '
[1] Tachibana is Kyouya's underling, I suppose. He's in the manga a lot.
[2] Hunny's already cute just the way he is. If he were giving out a puppy-dog look, imagine how much cuter he'd look. xD
R&R's please! :)