Of Tea and Roses

Chapter 4 - You think I should WHAT?

One of the few places I did remember how to get to was our old hang out place. It was an old maple tree that sat between the Haninozuka and Morinozuka family properties and stood tall and proud - kind of like the two families actually. In the bark was all of our initials, carved in with sharp rocks from when we were all children. There were a few trees scattered about, a field filling the rest of the space, but the oak was the biggest tree around.

When we were younger it was hard for us to understand why our parents couldn't give us the attention that we wanted. Out of irritation to our respective parents, the three of us left the Haninozuka house, just to get away from the hole our parents weren't filling. It wasn't running away, just an escape from emotions that two eight year olds and a seven year old didn't want to feel.

When we stumbled across the tree it was already bigger than the three of us, even if we had stood on each other's shoulders. The tree had a few low hanging branches that we were able to grab onto and heave ourselves up, hiding in the leaves.

Back then I hadn't been very close to Takashi. We had only really talked when we both found ourselves in the Haninozuka house, looking for attention from Mitsukuni. The two of us had never really gotten to know each other, even though our clans were close. But after spending the summer with the two boys, it was like I had that family bond that I desperately needed as a child. Mitsukuni and Takashi became my older brothers, rather than cousin and friend of the family.

And that was where the two teens found me. I had swung myself up into the higher branches of our maple tree and was relaxing in the cool breeze.

"Hiromi? Are you okay?" I looked down and found Takashi staring up at me from the ground, Mitsukuni clinging to his back as usual.

"Ah, hi guys," I chuckled sheepishly.

Mitsukuni pouted. "You really had us worried for a second there, Hiromi. We didn't know where you had gone. Takashi was super worried."

Takashi nodded, his face as void of emotions as ever. "Yeah."

I smiled a little at that. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I just needed to get out of the house."

Mitsukuni jumped up onto one of the branches from Takashi's shoulder. It was oddly graceful for someone who looked so young. He scurried up the branches, Takashi ended up following behind him at a steady pace. That guy had it easy having such long legs.

They settled onto separate branches, Takashi across from me and Mitsukuni a little higher up behind him.

"So, why did you get so angry, Hiromi?" Mitsukuni asked, swinging his legs back and forth and his bright blue eyes on me.

I frowned and tightened my grin on the branch below me. "Okaa-san acts like getting engaged isn't a very important thing. I know that sometimes it's necessary to get what you want in life, but I didn't want to get engaged to a stranger. I didn't want to come to Japan and I didn't want to do anything for the sake of fashion."

I let out a huge huff, pressing my lips together. I knew I was pouting, but it didn't matter - I was with one of the most childish seventeen year olds on the planet. It felt good to finally say something about the engagement. I hadn't said anything to Eriko when she first told me, instead I just rolled with the punches and did what I was told. At the time I hadn't had time to think over the new change in my life, but during the plane right back to Japan I had more than enough thinking time.

I didn't want to marry this Hitachiin guy. I didn't want to throw away any chance of ever finding real love. A deep, dull ache started in my chest just thinking about it.

"I don't think Baa-chan meant to hurt you, Hiromi," Mitsukuni finally said. His cheerful and happy expression was replaced by a thoughtful look. "I think she's trying to make sure you're future is going to be a good one, no matter what you decide to do. I know that I would want to make sure that you were safe and taken care of."

Takashi smiled slightly and nodded his approval. "She probably thought long and hard about pairing you with this person," he said in a deep, slow voice.

My shoulders slumped. I couldn't exactly argue against what they were saying. I knew Eriko loved me. Actually, I think she had to much love, not having her second child to coddle and love. So she probably put some of that love towards me.

"Who did she pick?" Mitsukuni suddenly asked, breaking me from my train of thought.

"Kaoru Hitachiin," I replied, having burnt the name into my memory.

"Kao-chan?!" the little blond teen shouted.

I jumped, eyes wide and leaned back to get a bit more distance between me and the shocked Mitsukuni.

"You're engaged to Kao-chan?!"

I don't think he really needed to ask that, but whatever.

I nodded. "Kaoru Hitachiin, youngest son of Yuzaha Hitachiin-san."

"He's in the club Takashi and me are in!"

"You've got to be joking," I choked out.

Mitsukuni shook his head. "No, it's true! Kaou-chan and Hika-chan are both in the Host Club!"

Fantastic. My future husband was a host.

"I'm really surprised you don't remember Kao-chan and Hika-chan. We used to go to school with them."

Ah, right. I could barely remember the second set of twins in the year under Kosei and I. The Hitachiin twins kept to themselves while Kosei and I had made our own friends. For me, Kyoya Ootori and Takashi were the only people outside my immediate family that I spent time with and Kosei branched out and hung out with multiple people from our grade.

"I kinda remember the two of them, but we never talked. They always sat by themselves when we all had recess, remember? I think Kosei talked to them once or twice during school activities."

"Ah, that's right! You didn't really play with anyone besides Takashi and me."

"And Kyoya," I added in.

Mitsukuni bobbed his head, a bright smile on his face. "That's right! You and Kyo-chan used to play together when Takashi and me couldn't! I forgot about that."

"Kyo-chan...? Wait, Kyoya's in your club too?" If I remembered right, Mitsukuni said that 'Kyo-chan' was part of his club too.

"Yep! He's the one who organizes everything."

Well, that did sound like Kyoya. "Why is everyone I know a member of your club?" I sighed.

Kyoya Ootori, one of the very few people who I spoke with in our grade back when I lived in Japan before. He was the youngest son of a very refined family. When we were little, just starting school at Ouran, we stuck together. Mostly it was because Kyoya was smart and calm, he kept a level head. Kyoya had liked me because I was quieter than the other kids and I think he enjoyed that I had been rather blunt as a kid.

"Well, Kosei isn't," Mitsukuni offered teasingly.

I sighed and shook my head. I already knew Kosei wasn't in the host club - he didn't even go to Ouran!

We were sitting in my new room, well, actually it was my old guest bedroom. I used to spend a lot of time at the Haninozuka family house and Yorihisa ended up making one of the guest rooms my official room. Mitsukuni and I were comfortably sitting on the bed while Takashi took up the desk chair.

I let out a loud groan. "I don't want to go to school with everyone knowing I'm connected to half the host club!"

"How come?"

I gave the blond a very long look, an expression of 'are you kidding me?' on my face. "Mitsukuni... I'm best friends with one host," I pointed over to Takashi.

"Cousins with another," pointed to him. "Engaged to one and happen to b childhood friends with another. And you're all hosts. You make a bunch of girls happy for the fun of it. If they found out about all my connections they'd start up a 'kill Hiromi' game."

There was a little chuckle from Takashi while Mitsukuni oh-ed.

"That does sound like a bit of a problem."

"A bit?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Hm... Well, you know, there is a pretty good way to avoid everyone knowing," Mitsukuni suddenly piped up, he expression thoughtful.

"Mitsukuni..." Takashi murmured, giving the other teen a long stare.

"It'll be okay, Takashi!" Mitsukuni grinned and let out a little laugh, an aura of flowers and cuteness circling him.

Oh, I forgot about that little detail of my cousin. He had that weird aura that made you want to cuddle him senseless.

"And what's this 'pretty good way'?" I asked, leaning back into my pillows and looking back and forth between the two cousins.

Takashi actually looked a little weary of whatever Mitsukuni was thinking while the blond was grinning. I had a very bad feeling about this...

"Well," Mitsukuni started, drawing out the word. "We have another host, Haru-chan, and she's really a she dressing up as a he. No one even knew Haru-chan was a girl until she ended up working with the club!"

"And this relates to me how?"

Mitsukuni smiled. "We could dress you up!"

"You want me to... cross dress."

"Yeah! Hiromi would look so cute in a boys uniform!"

I slowly blinked, looking over at Takashi. "Why didn't you like his plan?"

"You don't look very boyish," he said with a stoic expression.

"Thank you?"

Takashi nodded in reply.

"Haru-chan isn't very boyish either and none of the girls have noticed yet. She's super cute!"

I leaned further back, tilting my head to stare are the blank ceiling. Ouran's two uniforms were a hideous yellow dress for the girls with obnoxious puffed shoulders and a high collar and then there was a nice blue blazer, white dress shirt and black slacks for the boys. Between the two, the boys uniform looked more comfortable and more flattering on anyone.

Now, if I dressed up as a boy I'd have to cut my hair, hide it from Eiji and I'd probably still need to avoid the Hitachiin brothers.

Somehow that all sounded easy compared to the hordes of angry female students that would try murdering me.

I let out a long breath and looked forward again to where Mitsukuni was happily swinging his feet back and forth.

"You know what? Why not?"

Hey look at this! I got two chapters out in one weekend!

I just realized that I haven't bee putting up any disclaimers... So, I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CANNON CHARACTERS OF OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB!

Anyway, I made a Tumblr for the fanfiction. it's where I'll be posting little one-shots later on, maybe writing little shorts and answering questions about the characters here. It's (aonozuka dot tumblr dot com) and I'll be posting at least once every day (obviously not short stories or one-shots... I don't have enough brain for that).

Molly Grace 16 - That's exactly what I wanted! I'm glad that you noticed :) I think Kaoru and Hikaru will know since it's about their future... But they probably wouldn't know what Hiromi looks like. But with this little twist I added in it'll make things even more interesting when Kaoru finds out that his future wife is willing and alright with cross dressing xD (Thank you again for another review! I love hearing your comments!)

CeruleanCat - I don't know any good plot that has an immediate love between the love interests. It's really only good if you get to see the two characters grow and develop feelings, which is how this fanfiction will be. I kind of hate the 'love at first sight' thing. There's nothing fun about reading about it.

aaa17 - There will be LOTS of fluffy moments, my dear friend. I love me some fluff.

setsuka-kun - Ah! I'm so happy that you liked it so much! It makes me really glad. Well, there are going to be a few more character introductions before we meet the rest of the host club, but you can rest assured that there will be piles of drama attached to those characters. Plus! We get to sink out teeth into the REAL plot of the story. I chose Kaoru because of he's the less popular twin. I'm hopping to give everyone an appreciation for Kaoru.

- Thank you! I'm not sure how good I am at pacing but I really hope I can keep it up. I'm really hoping to do a lot of character development for Hiromi and Eriko later on in the story, hopefully you'll like them just as much, or more, by the end of this fanfiction.

Winter Coma - Don't you worry! In the next chapter we get to see Eriko in a different light and I think that you might like her a bit more. I think Hiromi being thrown into the mix with Hikaru and Kaoru and their brotherly love routine will be really funny (or at least I'm hoping it will be!).

Wow guys, s many reviews! Thank you all sooooo sooo much! I love you guys.

Sayounara for now! ✿