AN: I thought I wasn't going to make my Wednesday deadline, but I put my nose to the grindstone and churned out another chapter!
I may have mentioned this before, by 5k is my usual length for a chapter. Chapter 5 was a little shorter than usual, so I made sure this one was a bit longer.
One quick review and then back to the Host Club!
Guest 1: Oh my goodness gracious, I'm grinning like a crazy person. I'm so, so glad you're enjoying it! Thank you for your kind review :)
After the movie had ended, Ena told the club about her original plans for the summer and admitted that she was disappointed she wouldn't be going home. Everyone had been understanding, especially Mori and Honey. The older students both had younger siblings they were missing too. With their acceptance, Ena felt the last of the tension that had been plaguing her drift away and she felt more able to settle into life with the Host Club.
Soon it was nearing the end of June and Ena was still in Boston. She'd spent the last couple weeks chasing the exchange students around as they explored the city. Ena also made a point of Skyping with Henry at least once a week, if not more often. They were able to talk about what was going on in their lives and it made being so far apart a little easier.
Ena's mom popped by a few times, talking with her daughter about how things were on the West Coast. Juliana, her mom, had started a small jewelry business that was beginning to gain popularity. Richard was getting a promotion at the college he taught at. Henry was hanging out with friends and reading comic books. Everything was right with their world, other than the fact that Ena was on the other side of the country.
But even that was okay. Ena's mom met some of the club members during their chats. Although she was still upset about the whole ordeal, Juliana was endeared by the boy's charm and apparent affection for her daughter. She particularly liked Haruhi (though, everyone seemed to like Haruhi) and was glad Ena had made a new friend in the girl. Juliana wasn't as obvious about it as her ex-mother-in-law, but she clearly also thought Ena needed more friends.
Between the Host Club and her calls with her family, Ena barely managed to find time to see Lucy and Megan, or stop by Vee's to get a word in with Barb. Lucy was busy with swimming most of the time and Megan had picked up some summer classes. Barb had double shifts and also spent a lot of time with her brothers, now that school was out. The times the four got together were few and far between, but they all planned to meet up during the Fourth of July carnival and hang out then.
Being with the Host Club was hectic and crazy and more than a little tiring, but everything seemed to be going okay for Ena. They group was all happy and healthy, and her job wasn't too difficult anymore. That is, until a week before the carnival...
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Ena awoke to the sound of someone pounding on her door. It had been a much less common occurrence since the first weekend, but on every now and then they'd show up. Sometimes the club members were like high maintenance pets, demanding food or attention early in the morning.
The girl checked the time and was happy to see it wasn't completely unreasonable. Ena rolled out of bed, stumbling over to the door. She opened it warily, staring up at a nervous looking blonde. He was holding up his fist like he was preparing to punch her door some more.
"Yes, Tamaki?" Ena rubbed at her eyes.
"Haruhi isn't leaving her room." The man lowered his fist, wringing his hands together.
Ena perked up at that, standing up straighter. "What do you mean?"
"She won't open her door." Tamaki glanced down the hallway, at his girlfriend's room.
"Have you tried texting her?" Ena asked.
He nodded. "She's not answer my calls either."
Ena sighed, knowing it was more than likely Tamaki was just being dramatic and worrying over nothing. But, on the off chance something was actually wrong, she grabbed a sweatshirt and headed down the hall. Tamaki trailed behind her, looking jumpy. Ena stopped in front of the girl's door, giving it a light knock.
"Haruhi? It's Ena. Tamaki came and told me you're not coming out. Is everything alright?" She called softly.
"Is he with you?" A rough voice came back.
Ena glanced over at the boy, then back at the door. "Yes..?"
"Tell him to go away."
Tamaki made a sputtering sound. "Bu-But!"
"If we're going to get to the bottom of this, you'd better leave." Ena told him.
He huffed, gazing forlornly at Haruhi's door. Ena made a little shoo motion and he trudged back to his room, each step deliberately slow and measured. Pausing before opening to door, Tamaki turned and looked back at Ena with the most pitiful puppy eyes she'd ever seen. It was enough to make her want to run over and comfort the boy. Well, almost.
"That's not gonna work on me Tamaki, I have a little brother." Ena crossed her arms.
He sighed, entering his room. Ena waited a beat to make sure he was actually in his room and not just loitering behind the door before turning back to to problem at hand.
"'Kay, he's gone."
Haruhi cracked the door open, letting Ena in before locking it behind her. The lights were low and the girl was wrapped in a blanket, wearing and old t-shirt and some pajama pants. Judging by the snotty tissues in the trash and Haruhi's pale complexion, she was sick.
"Got a cold?"
Haruhi nodded, before giving a violent (if not kinda adorable) sneeze.
"It looks worse that it is." She explained, her voice nasally due to a stuffed nose. "I just don't want Tamaki to worry. He'd make a big fuss if he saw me like this."
"Well, it's not gonna get better if you just hide away in here."
"I know." Haruhi sighed, sniffling.
Ena guided Haruhi over to the couch, having her sit down. "What do you usually do when you're sick?"
"Um. I usually just wait for it to be over."
"That doesn't sound very effective." Ena frowned.
The younger girl shrugged, blowing her nose in some tissue. Ena sighed at the girl's passive attitude. In the past couple of weeks, Ena had grown used to Haruhi's indifferent nature and even come to enjoy her bluntness. She was a straight shooter and able to call the boys out on their BS. But sometimes, when Haruhi was negligent towards herself, Ena felt herself getting frustrated.
"There's nothing special you do, or medicine that you know helps?"
"Well, I guess..." Haruhi thought a moment, "sometimes my dad would make a stew pot. It wasn't always very good, but the thought was nice."
Ena grinned, now they were getting somewhere. "I have an idea. Why don't you write me a grocery list, in English so you can practice, and I'll buy everything we need at the supermarket. Then, when I get back, you can guide me through making it. Does that sound okay?"
"That sounds fine." Haruhi allowed, grabbing some paper and a pen.
She methodically wrote out each other ingredients in her small, neat handwriting. When she finished, Haruhi passed Ena the list. Giving it a quick glance over, Ena figured she could run to the Asian market near the dorms.
Ena instructed Haruhi to drink some tea and rest while she went out. "Also, don't let the boys in if you don't want to. It would probably be best to avoid getting everybody else sick as well."
Haruhi nodded, curling back into her nest of blankets and closing her eyes. She was out like a light in moments. Ena huffed, though it was more of a laugh than anything else, and adjusted the girl's blankets a little. She reached out and felt Haruhi's forehead, wincing at the temperature. Ena would probably get some cold medicine while she was out too.
Ena locked the door behind her and stepped out into the hallway, only to run straight into someone.
"Tamaki-" Ena sighed.
"Is she okay?" Tamaki asked, still looking jittery.
"She's sick." Ena explained. "And she didn't want you worrying. Although, locking you out seemed to worry you more..."
"Haruhi is ill?!" Tamaki cried.
"And sleeping!" Ena shushed him, waving her arms. "I'm gonna make her some food and get her some cold medicine."
Tamaki followed her back to her room. "I must accompany you!"
"I don't know if that's such a good idea..."
"But I want to help!"
Ena groaned, wiping a hand over her face. Tamaki turned to puppy eyes back on, this time with more force. It was super effective. The girl scowled at him before throwing her hands in the air.
"Fine!"
Tamaki instantly dropped the act, replacing the look with a huge smile. "Thank you Ena! I promise I will be helpful."
"Great. Give me a second to get dressed, okay?"
Tamaki nodded eagerly, saluting and standing at attention outside her door. Ena sighed again and closed her door. She threw on some clothes acceptable for venturing out into public, deciding to just put her sweatshirt back on over a tank top. Grabbing her purse and the van keys, Ena reopened the door, unsurprised to see Tamaki in the same exact pose she'd left him in.
"Do you want tell anyone else that we're leaving?" Ena questioned as they went down the stairs and into the lobby.
Tamaki shook his head. Ena rose an eyebrow in return.
"They'd probably want to come too and it would be more of a hassle."
Ena blinked. "Um, wow. Okay."
"What?" Tamaki looked over at her curiously.
"You've just always seemed like the 'gung-ho, let's go on an adventure everybody!' kind of guy."
Tamaki shrugged. "I love my friends, but I know they can be a handful."
"Huh." Ena hopped into the driver's side, Tamaki taking Kyoya's usual spot in the passenger seat. "Well alrightie then."
Tamaki smiled sunnily, poking at the radio until a pop station come on. "Where are we going first?"
"There's a Walgreens around the corner, they have medicine and stuff like that. Then I need to pick up ingredients for a stew pot, we should be able to get everything we need at the Asian market."
"Let's go!" Tamaki bounced excitedly, apparently over his moment of maturity.
"Right." Ena pulled out of the parking lot.
Tamaki was very interested in the various things being sold in the Walgreens. He was fascinated in the wide range in products, from shampoo to snacks. Ena had to drag him away from the magazine section so she could actually buy what they came in for. She found a medicine that wouldn't make Haruhi too drowsy and some cough drops. Tamaki ended up leaving with a bag of various things he thought would make his girlfriend feel better, mostly snacks but a few random trinkets as well.
The trip in the Asian market was more chaotic, because Tamaki kept running off to look at the different things and see if he could find any of the things that he loved from back home. Eventually, Ena just let him to it, trying to find everything she needed and get out quickly.
She browsed the aisles, grabbing things from the list and feeling extremely grateful she could read all the boxes. When Ena reached the bottom of her list, she realized she'd probably need to find some special pot to make the stew in. Ena found an older woman working in the dish section and asked her what would work the best.
The woman was delighted at her interest, and started describing the benefits of the different pots they had. Soon, she was able to find one that would work for the girl. It was a cast iron pot, with a light wooden lid. It was a little on the pricey side, but Ena figured she would be able to use it more than once so it was already to get it.
While on that vein of thought, Ena headed back through the store, looking for things she might want. She picked up some dried mango and a few other snack-type things. There were also some rarer fruits in the produce section, so Ena grabbed a couple of those as well. When she was satisfied with her selections, she glanced around the store.
Now I just had to find my missing companion and I'll be set to check out.
Ena pushed her cart around, searching for the blonde French man over the heads of the other shoppers. Eventually she caught sight of him, surrounded by a group of girls in the manga section. Ena held back a laugh, of course.
Ena approached the group, all chattering and giggling at what Tamaki was saying. The man in question was gesturing grandly, describing some Japanese history that seemed a bit off to Ena. Samurai's didn't really use horse fat to clean their swords, did they? The girl cleared her throat, grabbing Tamaki's attention.
"I've got everything we need, are you ready to check out?"
"Of course!" Tamaki walked over Ena, looking in the cart. "Wow, that's a lot!"
"Yeah, Haruhi doesn't mess around with her stew pots."
"Well, princesses," Tamaki turned to girls, who tittered amongst themselves at the name, "I must bid you adieu."
"Awww..." A few girls gave Ena nasty looks for dragging away Tamaki.
Ena managed to avoid rolling her eyes, pulling the waving man to the front of the store. The cashier checked out all the food and Ena winced as the price kept climbing higher and higher. When it finally stopped, Ena reached into her purse with a sigh, about to get out her wallet when Tamaki stopped her.
"I'll take care of it."
"Really?" Ena asked, surprised. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. It's for Haruhi, so I want to help." Tamaki pulled out a shiny debit card.
"Some of that stuff is for me though..." Ena shifted uncomfortably. "At least let me pay you back for what's mine."
"Think of it as a gift!" Tamaki smiled at her. "A thank you for being so kind!"
Ena stopped arguing, more than a little touched. She watched as the cashier scanned Tamaki's card and handed it back. The blonde was still grinning as he helped her carry the bags back to the car. They piled everything into the back seat and climbed in themselves. It was just a quick drive back to the dorms and the pair carried everything upstairs together.
A small crowd had formed outside Haruhi's door, whispering to each other. Kaoru noticed Tamaki and Ena first, pointing them out to the rest of the group. Soon they were flocked to and everyone was talking at once. Well, Hikaru was whining and Honey was chattering about something another while the others tried to get a word in. Ena was reminded of the chaos a few weeks ago, right before they had all gone to the mall. She held up a hand and, amazingly, everyone stopped talking.
"Kaoru." Ena pointed at the red head. "Shoot."
"Haruhi won't open her door and we couldn't find either of you two. You weren't answer you phone."
Ena slapped her forehead, realizing she had left it in her room. "Sorry about that, I didn't bring it with me. Haruhi's not answering because she's sick and I told her to rest and ignore you if she wanted to."
"Why would you tell her that?" Hikaru crossed his arms.
"So you guys won't catch her cold and get sick too?" Ena explained rationally. "Tamaki and I went out to get her some medicine and stuff for a stew pot."
That seemed to mostly satisfy the Club and they backed off a little bit. Ena suggested that they head back to their rooms, or at least leave Haruhi alone, while she made the stew.
"I'll save some for you all and you can come eat in my room, yeah?"
Everyone (reluctantly) wandered off and Ena gave a gentle knock on the door.
"I'm back Haruhi."
"...Tamaki?"
Ena looked at the boy, who had grocery bags in his hands. "He's gonna help me carry things in for just a second and then he'll leave."
Haruhi sighed and opened the door. She looked worse than before, her hair tangled and sticking out in places from her nap. Tamaki looked like he wanted to glomp the poor girl and coddle her, but Ena gave him a pointed look and pulled him to the kitchen. He carried his bags to the counter and dropped them there.
Tamaki stood awkwardly in the kitchen, staring between Ena and Haruhi. Ena was about to not-so-subtly tell him it was time to go when he crossed the room to Haruhi. He gently took her arms and bent down to kiss her forehead. Then he looked very seriously into her eyes.
"Get better, okay?"
Haruhi smiled slowly, before giving a short nod.
"If you get sick because of that, don't blame me." She told him, her voice as even as ever but somehow Ena knew she was teasing.
Tamaki smiled at her and turned to door. He locked eyes with Ena, something about his expressions saying 'take care of her.' Ena inclined her head and Tamaki left after giving them one last look, then locking the door behind him.
"Well that was ridiculously sweet." Ena said after a beat.
Haruhi laughed softly. "He has his moments."
Ena started pulling things out of bags and setting them on the counter. "So, you gonna teach me how to make this or what?"
A little while later, Ena was just finishing up the stew pot. With Haruhi's instruction and a little online help, she managed not to botch it up. Ena ladled some into a bowl for the younger girl and set her up at the table. She watched anxiously as she took the first bite.
"Mmm. It turned out great." Haruhi hummed, slurping up some beef.
Ena relaxed and sighed with relief. "Phew, thank god. I told the boys I'd bring them the rest. Are you good on your own for a little while?"
Haruhi nodded, distracted by the food. Ena went to pick up the new pot and head out the door when the teen stopped her.
"Thank you for keeping Tamaki busy. He worries a lot."
"Well, he cares a lot, so it stands to reason." Ena smiled. "You rest up, okay? I'll make sure you have some peace and quiet for the rest of the day."
Haruhi smiled then. "Thanks."
Ena closed the door with her foot, using both hands to carry the full pot down the hall towards her room. Moving slowly so as to not spill it everywhere, she reached out one hand to grab the doorknob when it turned on it's own. Ena almost jumped with shock, but managed to regain her composure long enough to prevent the stew pot from tipping.
"Holy hell, you gave me a fright!" Ena walked past Hikaru into her room. "I didn't know you guys were already here."
"Well, you said to come over, so we just waited for you." The brunette Hitachiin shrugged.
"Ena-chan, your art is really good!" Honey was sitting at her desk, looking at the same sketches Hikaru had gone through before. "I didn't know that you drew."
"She's always carrying a sketchbook around." Kaoru pointed out, looking in said sketchbook.
"Oh, that's what that was! I thought it was a book like Kyo-chan has!"
Kaoru pointed to a sketch of a dress. "This is one of our mother's."
Ena placed the pot on the middle of the table and started pulling out bowls. "Yeah, I looked it up after you were telling me about your mom. That one really stuck with me, so I decided to sketch it out."
"How is Haruhi doing?" Tamaki practically attacked the girl once her hands were empty.
Ena took it in stride, shoving him off and turning on her electric kettle.
"She's doing much better. The cold medicine seemed to have helped a lot and she's eating her stew right now. Tea?"
"Yes!" Several voices chorused.
Ena went about getting out mugs and tea for everyone who wanted it. She set out some water for the rest and gestured to the table.
"Eat up!"
The boys flocked to the food. Everyone dished out their own bowls and dug in. Ena tried some as well, humming happily at the taste and the feeling of warm broth in her stomach. The others seemed to agree and they all ate with gusto. Soon, all that was left in the pot was a few pieces of chrysanthemum that Tamaki adamantly refused to eat. The club sat around Ena's table, talking quietly among themselves.
"This is kind of weird." Hikaru piped up during a lull in the conversation.
Kaoru gave him a dirty look, but Ena stopped him from jabbing his brother. "No, I'm curious. What makes you say that, Hikaru?"
"We don't usually hang out all together like this without Haruhi." The teen shrugged. "It's just strange to not have her here."
"I think that's reasonable. She's important to you all and you're not used to being apart."
The group all nodded in agreement.
"But, she's just down the hall. And she'll be better soon. So don't worry, okay?" Ena smiled at the boys. "Are you finished eating?"
This time around, everyone cleared their own bowls, even Kyoya looked up from his phone for long enough to help out. He'd been mostly silent throughout the evening, apparently preoccupied with something else. Ena gave him a curious look when he sighed at the screen in frustration.
"Is something wrong?" Ena asked as she scrubbed one of the bowls and loaded it into the dishwasher.
"It's nothing."
"Really?" Ena sounded doubtful.
"If you must know, there are some numbers from a study we did that just aren't adding up like they should."
Ena held out a hand, reaching for the phone. "May I see?"
The other boys watched on silently, prepared from the Shadow King to brush her off. To their surprise, he passed over the device and let the girl look at it. She scrolled through some spreadsheet or another for moment before turning to her whiteboard. Ena began scribbling out some numbers, what looked to be statistics, and tapped the pen to her lip thoughtfully. Kyoya came up beside her, looking at the board as well.
"Maybe if you try moving the dosage?" She erased the numbers representing the length of time each person had been using some trial drug and replaced with with the amount each took. "Then it might even out..."
"Where will the length of exposure go?" Kyoya asked.
"Over here?" Ena wrote it on other part of the board. "So now..."
"I see." Kyoya nodded, taking his phone back and typing something into it rapidly.
"I have no idea what just happened." Tamaki admitted.
"Ena may have gotten us a step closer to finding a cure for PCOS."
"Wow Ena-chan, that was cool!" Honey hopped to the girl excitedly.
Ena shrugged. "Sometimes writing it all out makes the answer easier to see. Are you guys heading out?"
The majority of the club thanked Ena and made their way back to their rooms. Kyoya hung back, standing by the kitchen where Ena was tidying.
"May I have a word?"
"Sure." Ena nodded, drying her hands on a towel.
Kyoya surprised her by putting away some of the hand wash dishes before speaking. "I know you've said that your brother wants to go into the medical field, but did you ever consider it yourself? You have an eye for numbers and a basic understanding of information when it's first presented to you."
"Oh...I hadn't really thought about it."
Ena had come all the way to Boston for this school, but she had never really had an end goal. It was always just 'go to a good school, get good grades, go to a good college, get a good job.' Art was a passion of hers, but not something she could see herself pursuing. Ena was interested in the sciences as well, but she hadn't narrowed it down to one specific field yet.
"I think you should consider it." Kyoya leaned against the counter, crossing his arms. "If you are ever looking for a place to work, many of our hospitals have internships and other opportunities to network."
"You mean, your hospitals in Japan, right?" Ena asked dubiously.
"Yes."
"I don't know, that's kinda...far." Ena rubbed at her arms.
Kyoya rose an eyebrow. "Says someone who traveled across the country to pursue her education?"
"Touche." Ena allowed. "I've never really wanted to be a doctor, though. That was always Henry's dream."
"Even if you don't want to be a doctor, there are other positions in the field that would fit for you, research and data collection for example." Kyoya stood up straight. "At least consider it."
Ena stared at the man, trying to figure out where he was coming from. They hadn't spoken much since early on in the Club's residency, but there was a mutual understanding between them. Don't cut corners and no beating around the bush. They were straightforward with each other and if Kyoya really though she should do this...
"I'll think about it." Ena agreed.
"Excellent." He gave a small smile in return, not quite smirk but also not a true grin.
Ena glanced over at the clock. "I should probably go check on Haruhi and see if she needs anything."
"I'll walk with you."
The two left Ena's room and traveled the short distance across the hall. Kyoya continued on to his room, waving when Ena called out a 'bye!'. It appeared Haruhi had left her door unlocked this time and Ena walked in without knocking.
The girl was laying on the couch again, her bowl from dinner sitting in the sink and her eyes closed. She had probably fallen asleep after eating, which was what Ena had hoped for with the warm food. The more sleep Haruhi got, the sooner she'd get better. Because of this, Ena didn't want to wake her up to move her to the bed, so she went out into the hall and knocked on Tamaki's door.
"Tamaki, can you help me get Haruhi into bed? She fell asleep on the couch and I don't think I can pick her up."
The blonde nodded eagerly, excited to be able to help his girlfriend. He hurried onto Haruhi's room and gently picked her up from the couch. She stirred slightly as he carried her over to her bed.
"Sleep, mon cœur." He told her quietly and she stilled.
Ena helped to pull the sheets up around her and turned off the lamp by her bed. She placed some tissues and a trash can by the bed, in case the younger girl needed them in the night, and a fresh glass of water. Tamaki dropped a quick kiss on the sleeping girls forehead and the two left the room.
"Her forehead isn't as warm as before." Tamaki noted, looking pleased.
"Did you kiss her head just to check?" Ena laughed lightly.
"Well, it worked didn't it?" Tamaki smiled at the teen. "But I also kissed her because I love her."
"That much is apparent." Ena was only a tiny bit sarcastic.
"What is it Ena?" Tamaki grinned. "Are you intimidated by the strength of mine and Haruhi's bond? Not many get to witness a love so pure and strong!"
"You are ridiculous, you know that?" Ena pushed the boy back towards his room.
"Ridiculously in looove." Tamaki chanted, obviously teasingly.
Ena rolled her eyes. "Save it for your girlfriend, dork."
The blonde laughed heartily, returning to his room while still wearing that crazy smile. Ena was a bit surprised by his teasing, he usually only acted like that towards Kyoya and the twins. It was easy to forget that he was just a goofy teenaged boy and not some dramatic aristocat. Well, maybe he was a bit of both.
Ena threw herself down on her couch once she got back in her room, checking her cell phone for the first time all day. Lucy had texted her, asking about when they were going to meet up for the carnival. It was only a few days away by now...
Ena shot off a quick response, telling her she'd discuss it with the boys and Haruhi the next day. It was getting a little late to bother them all now. She rolled to her feet, wandering around her room aimlessly, trying to find something to do.
The conversation with Kyoya popped up in her mind and Ena realized that she still had to consider what the man had suggested. Although being a doctor wasn't exactly what she was leaning towards, the research and experimental aspect of medicine was fascinating. just getting a look at some of the numbers from a project that day had interested her and proved an interesting challenge.
It was strange that it had never occurred to Ena before to think about her future. She was always worrying about her friends and family and what they were going to be doing. Ena was the one who told her mother to try selling some of the little trinkets she made, and encouraged Lucy to join the swim team over the summer. She was also the one to spent hours researching with Henry and try to get Barb's little brother into Beecher.
But this next school year, Ena was going to be a senior. She'd have to start seriously thinking about what she wanted to do after high school, sooner as opposed to later. There wasn't really time to dawdle, considering application deadlines at colleges and other things that she had on her plate for the next year. She could just continue on at the university after the year was over...but did she really want to?
Japan was suddenly an option in her life, and from what Kyoya was saying, it sounded like he was offering her a job with the Ootori group. Ena ran her hands through her hair, staring at the equations still let over on her whiteboard. Maybe...
The teen shook her head, deciding it was too late to be stressing over this. Ena threw on some pajamas and climbed into bed. Despite her racing thoughts, she managed to fall asleep.
AN: And there were are! So what do you think? Should Ena settle and stay in Boston? Or should she venture further into the world? I love to hear your feedback, so don't hesitate to review or PM me!
Also, I'm considering changing the name of the fic. When talking about it in person, I usually just call it Curious Nature, rather than going through the whole title. Do y'all think I should shorten it or leave it?