Chapter 2

Mori sat by his cousin's side at the Host Club, watching their newest member talk about himself. They were all recruited by Tamaki a couple weeks ago. The new member's name was Hiro and happened to be in the same year as Mori and Honey.

Tomorrow was Saturday. It was a passing thought in the middle of the afternoon. He had kendo, instead of sparring sessions from years before. Mori's routine had changed drastically since the last time he'd seen her. He hadn't thought about her in a while.

"My sister goes to Lobelia," Hiro casually mentioned while he strummed the guitar. He was a musician. Only as a hobby, he claimed. He wrote and composed songs any time he could – right to the point where it took over his studies. Hiro Sawada's grades were average at best.

Honey nodded while taking a bite of his strawberry cake.

Tamaki leaned closer to the newest member. "Would you like to play a duet with me, mon ami?"

"Sure, but my classical guitar skills are pretty rusty."

Tamaki excitedly dragged his new friend towards the piano while Kyouya replaced the empty spot on the couch.

"Sister goes to Lobelia." Kyouya pushed up his glasses while nodding at the new fact. He looked her up on his database. In an instant, the aforementioned sister's grades popped up on the screen. "Excels in the humanities, especially. Decent at mathematics, hm. Didn't seem like the type."

"What does she look like, Kyo-chan?" Honey asked before taking another bite of his cake. The Ootori turned his tablet over to show a photo of the girl.

Mori blinked. He knew that girl.

When Hana was twelve, she was still training with her grandfather on the weekends. No more sparring. No more getting beaten up. But she made sure to spend time with the relative every week regardless.

The grandfather was holding onto the punching bag while the girl threw punches. They were good. They were incredible. Hell, if the Morinozuka kid had been here, he was confident that she would've knocked him out in one go. Maybe even break a jaw.

But he knew his grandchild better than that. As much as he would have loved to see Hana beat the living shit out of his archenemy's child, she wasn't made for fighting. When she threw those punches with such force and anger, something must have been wrong.

"Why the anger?" he asked. It was a chilly autumn morning and they took a walk around the park to cool off.

"It's nothing," Hana shrugged it off, adjusting her ponytail.

"Do not lie to your elders," the grandfather scolded.

It took her a moment to mull over her thoughts.

"Mother makes me go to these events with the family."
"You're angry because you have to do your duties of putting up a face for the family?" He chuckled. "Oh there will be more of that in the future, this is only the beginning."

Hana shook her head.

"They keep calling me the pretty face of the family," she mumbled.
"It's a compliment," her grandfather offered in comfort. But he knew that she knew exactly what the phrase implied. Hana sighed.

"Hana, they will always underestimate you. This is your life. It's a double-edged sword. Take it to your advantage."
"I don't want to be known for just being pretty."

The grandfather stopped in his tracks.

"I trained you to fight. You can throw a punch. But a punch is nothing when you are only all brawl and no brains, child. I taught you strategy. I taught you the ropes of life. Use it."

Hiro brought a magazine to school, beaming like the proud brother he was. Forget it being a women's magazine, his very own little sister was on the cover.

"That's my sis on the cover there," he casually slipped the papers on the coffee table as the host club crowded around. It had been a few months since the club had formed and Honey tiled his head in amazement.

"Hana Sawada is your sister?" Kaoru recognized the face. The twins wouldn't have pegged the two to even be related. The club had gotten quite close after a couple months of the start-up business.

They looked much too different. It must have been the make-up, they thought. "She's taken over the billboards in Akihabara too," Hikaru also recognized the face when he walked around the city over the weekend.

"Hell yeah, she did," Hiro grinned. "My little sis is growing up so fast." He shed a fake tear with a smile as he watched the Hitachiin twins whisper to one another about how they could pitch the idea of using Hana as a model to their mother.

Kyouya stayed in the corner, taking notes. Mori watched from a distance as well, keeping the Shadow King company.

"It's a good selling point," Kyouya noted while pushing up his glasses.
Mori turned his head.
"The older-brother type, no?"
The giant only nodded.

After hours, Mori glanced over at the cover of the magazine left behind by Hiro. It was a black-and-white shoot, and she looked much older than fifteen. Eighteen at the youngest. Mori looked straight into her eyes. They had changed. Glazed over, like the world was bleak and sombre. Something in her shifted.

But perhaps it was just the camera.

Mori wanted to reach down to turn the cover, to see if those fierce eyes he remembered still existed in another photo.

"Takashi!" Honey called for his cousin. It was time to go home.

Hiro sat on his sister's bed as he watched her curl her hair for the annual Ouran Banquet. He was taking his little sister to meet his friends. He was excited to show her off. He was proud. He loved his little sister.

She was the only one who supported him when he pursued music. Hana would sit by his desk and be the first to listen to his compositions. From the small melodies he would make up on his guitar, to full blown remixes that he would spend hours crafting. She was the one who would reluctantly lend her voice to him when he needed vocals. She was his first fan and best of all, his little sister.

"Is that a bruise on your arm?" Hiro reached out to get a closer look.
"Oh… I'll get some concealer for that after I finish my hair." Hana brushed off the concern in her brother's voice while letting the loose curls fall effortlessly thanks to gravity doing the work.
"You've been at Ojii-san's? I thought you had to stop getting beat up after you turned ten, which was like, 5 years ago. I mean, why would you want to get beat up?"
"It's training, Hiro. Or, I mean, it was. It was kind of fun, to be honest."

Hiro frowned. "Mom doesn't like it."
"But she loves it when I'm on a magazine cover, huh?" Hana snidely replied.
"Our parents mean well."
"I know."

"Mom wanted you to do that interview with Teen Vogue Japan," Hiro casually mentioned. As if he wasn't put up to this conversation by their mother.
"And Dad wants you to get into university for business, but you want to pursue music."
"I just don't understand why you don't do interviews. People want to know you." Hiro ignored her last comment.
"I like to keep my privacy," Hana shrugged. "Also, the mystery is a great branding tool for myself."

To be honest, Hana was not interested in playing games with the media, or even the entire social class that she was born into. It was a waste of time, being caught up in the world of riches.

Or so she thought.

The truth was: she was too young to know how to strategize, to understand the game of cat and mouse. So she did what she did best, and that was a line of defense as she was taught.

Ouran was much larger than Lobelia. That was Hana's first observation as she was led through the corridors of the school. Not like she had been at Lobelia since high school began. She would pop in occasionally to drop off assignments, but otherwise, she made it through the school years without having to actually show up to class. She had on-set tutors, course textbooks delivered to her door, and the privilege of extensions to her classes.

Hiro opened the door to the Third Music Room and pulled on Hana's arm so she'd stop standing by the doorway. She was greeted immediately by a flamboyant blond who introduced himself as Tamaki before kissing her hand. Hiro quickly snatched away Hana's hand before she could react.

"The infamous Hana Sawada, huh?" A redhead came around to her right, observing her closely from top to bottom.
"Mother would be delighted if we could get her to model for our summer line, no?" A mirror image came up to her left.

Hiro dragged Hana away from the twins. "The Hitachiins," her brother mumbled. "They like to cause trouble. Stay away," he warned.

Hiro was careful to keep an eye on his sister as she wandered around the music room curiously.

"She should visit the host club during hours," Kyouya snuck up beside the older brother. The Ootori had his tablet in his hand. "A definite profit."
"You can exploit me, but not my baby sister," Hiro chuckled. "I wish the world saw more of her. Not just through magazines and billboards. I don't know why she just doesn't want to shine."

Mori stood behind his two friends, also watching the girl from afar. Her black hair had now grown to her waist, and dyed an ashy brown. She smiled. Mori couldn't doubt why she was a model. He caught himself staring and turned away out of embarrassment.

But as he turned away, he lost sight of his own cousin who had approached the guest.

"Hana-chan, you're really pretty," Honey tugged on the hem of her dress. He said what his cousin couldn't. Hana smiled in delight when she looked down.

"You must be Honey," she laughed and lowered herself to his level. Honey took Hana by the hand and dragged her to his cousin.

"Takashi! This is Hana-chan!"

The two hadn't seen each other in five years. She recognized him immediately.

Hana tilted her head up to see his face. He had grown very much. He was easily a head taller than her. She doubted that she could knock him down like she did years ago. His hair was still spiky, his stance aloof and his gaze elsewhere.

Hana waited patiently until he looked down at her, meeting her in the eyes.

Hello.

Mori bowed his head to acknowledge the introduction between the two. Hana smiled and reciprocated the same familiar gesture.

It's been a while.

Ouran was known for their banquets, the ones hosted by Host Club made them especially popular. Mori was obligated to go when his cousin was easily bribed by multiple 7-tier cakes. It was a masquerade, a typical theme. It was nearing the beginning of spring and Hiro had convinced the Shadow King to give him the spotlight when it came to music near the end of the event after the traditional classic dances.

Hiro volunteered to DJ the event, playing his new remixes, blaring the notes through the speakers and no one seemed to mind on the dancefloor. The Ootori had shut himself into a corner, observing the reactions of the audience, wondering if it would be profitable to sell CDs of Hiro's works. Meanwhile, Tamaki and the Twins were thoroughly enjoying themselves on the dancefloor.

Honey retired to his nap from a food coma and Mori left his sleeping cousin in another music room. The sun shone through the windows as it began to set. Knowing that it would bother Honey, Mori walked over to shut the blinds.

He quietly left his sleeping cousin to nap and found himself walking back to the banquet hall, not having anywhere else to go. Mori caught the sound of two voices down the hall.

"I know who you are, you know," a male voice snickered. Mori heard the click of high heels stop echoing through the hallway.

"You must be mistaken," the girl politely replied. "I have to take this call, excuse me." The heels continued on with their tracks only to stop abruptly. Mori quickened his pace. There was something wrong, he could easily sense it. A thud was heard, possibly against the wall.

"Don't you want to dance?"

"No," the voice was calm. "I have to go."

"Stay," the boy murmured. "Stay and dance with me. You don't have to hide the fact that you're a model behind that mask."

Mori found Hana locked between the arms of a boy who easily towered over her. She was cornered with her back against the wall and her hand clutching her phone. Mori moved closer, ready to attack before he heard her voice.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds to get off me." Mori was taken off guard by the venomous tone. He never pegged her as a fighter, but he had a feeling she was more than capable to hold her own ground even after so many years.

"Playing hard to get is cute," he chuckled. "Have a little fun with me." His finger grazed her cheek, causing the girl to turn away. She was disgusted. Mori stopped himself from running over to snatch his arm.

"You don't know who I am," Hana answered, her voice still calm. "And you're also out of time."

Her foot easily hooked against the back of his leg while her elbow jabbed his nose. The boy immediately kneeled over, clutching his face while his ankle throbbed. Hana was quick to stop herself from another kick while her attacker was still on the ground. Instead she huffed and left the boy groaning in pain. As she walked down the hall, Mori heard a phone ring.

Mori swiftly walked past the boy, contemplating whether to finish him off. But he wasn't taught to do such a thing, and neither was Hana. They fought honourably. Emotions were out of the mixture. The boy was still on the ground, kneeling over with blood pooling on the ground.

He deserved it.

Mori walked down the hall ignoring the scene and found a door pried open to the gardens.

"I got it. Yes, the flight is tomorrow. Understood. Of course. Yes. Yes, I'll see you there." Her tone was professional, to the point. Never a beat missed. "Goodbye."

Hana turned around to find a figure waiting for her. For a second she thought it was the boy she had thrown to the ground and reflexively moved backwards out of surprise. Her mask was off and her identity was revealed. But instead, it was another boy who towered over her, his gaze curious and his stance aloof. His hair blew in the wind as he watched her expression change from fear to relief. It was Mori.

Hana bowed out of respect, but mostly out of habit from the years they sparred together. He reciprocated the same gesture.

The model crossed her arms as the wind blew again. It was colder than she had expected at sunset. It was such an odd thing to come face to face with her old sparring partner. They were used to fighting but tonight, it felt like seeing an old friend again. Old friends that did nothing but apologized to one another until now.

Hana sheepishly smiled and brought something up that she had heard from her grandfather. "I heard you were the national kendo champion."

Mori nodded. His eyes fixated on her smile.

"That's wonderful. I wouldn't have expected anything less," the girl looked down, feeling ashamed. He had come so far and she… was thrust into the industry of modelling. How does one compare to that kind of achievement?

"I, um," Hana reverted back to what made her comfortable. "I'm sorry about your rib still."

Mori looked away and reminisced about their old days. He replayed that memory. The memory of their final sparring session.

"It was a good kick," his baritone voice surprised her. It was smooth as silk, calm and soothing. It resonated through the gardens they stood in.

Hana tried to fight a smile growing on her face. She easily lost the battle against herself, giving into a big grin. It meant a lot to hear something like that from someone she respected immensely.

"Do you still train?" Mori casually asked.
"No," she answered. "Not like I used to. I don't think I could throw you down, or even kick like that anymore."

Hana was no match for Mori. He kept up with his training all these years while Hana could only sporadically throw a couple punches ever few weeks or so. However, Mori was quick to comment what he saw minutes ago.

"Yet you threw that boy down effortlessly," Mori met her in the eye. Her large doe eyes widened while her mouth parted for a couple seconds. Hana took a deep breath and pulled herself together. Her expression embarrassed but also fearful of his judgement.

"It—" Hana wanted to explain only to be cut off by the boy.
"It was justified," Mori assured.

The girl relaxed and exhaled. Something about Mori made her feel safe. He was someone of few words and he was the last person she would ever expect to spread a rumour or even speak of the event to anyone.

"I don't, I mean… I don't like to fight," Hana stuttered. "I just…"
"We were trained to," the boy finished off the thought. Mori knew. He understood. Hana nodded in agreement.

They stood in silence. Hana rubbed her arms for a little more warmth. It was barely spring, with sakura trees only beginning to blossom. Her hair covered her bare shoulders, providing some heat while her legs were bare and her heels providing nothing but discomfort to her feet. But regardless, Hana still had a small smile on her face, relieved to have Mori's company.

"I won't keep you," Mori knew that she must have been busy. "You should go."

Hana shook her head. "No, I… I have some time. It's been… it's just been so long." They never quite knew each other. But they remembered each other's fighting techniques like the back of their hand. "I wish I knew you before I got to throw punches at your face."

"You would have hesitated even more than you did."

Hana chuckled and nodded. "True… but you would too."

Mori could not deny that.

"Your grandfather is doing alright?" Her voice soft.
Mori nodded.
"Good. My grandfather would enjoy having tea with yours sometime. I fear that mine is lonely without me." Hana was guilty about her sporadic visits. Her grandfather had no one else but her.

Mori nodded again, meeting her eyes again to assure her that he would pass on the message. His dark orbs were equally mesmerizing to her, he spoke with his eyes more than his lips. Hana was in the midst of deciphering the language unique to only him before she was interrupted by another phone call.

The boy took this as a sign to leave. He gave a small bow before turning and before she knew it, Hana was alone in the garden with her phone echoing throughout the entire area.

She sighed.

Duty calls.

A/N: If you have read my other stories, you would notice that these chapters are considerably shorter than they usually are. Explanations will be over on my tumblr (link on my profile) if you are wondering why, but I hope you all don't mind the cutback. I struggled very much on developing Hana's character, especially as a model. How it will play a part in the story and how she becomes intertwined with Mori of all people... I hope it's intriguing enough. :) Thank you for all your support, as usual. Your thoughts are much appreciated.