I thank Tracey4t and Artsygeek9796 for helping me.
Waves crashed against the warm sand and palm trees. Haruhi, Mayumi, and Akane found themselves in a tropical paradise, blinded by the shining sun.
"Wait a minute. Am I dreaming?" Haruhi asked, "We're in Japan, right? And Japan's not really known for its tropical locals."
"I wouldn't put it past them if they had taken us to another country," Mayumi said.
Tamaki then appeared out of nowhere, his aura of charm surrounding his in sparkles and wearing a pair of swim trunks, pulling Haruhi towards a tree that held multiple colorful parrots.
"Behold, Haruhi. Bask in the beauty of these tropical birds. Aren't they breathtaking? I wonder what they're called."
"Um, where was the exit again?" she asked, changing the subject.
Tamaki sat in a chair under a beach umbrella with a cup of iced tea in his hand.
"Try to make the most of this down time and just relax," he advised, "We're so worried about keeping our good looks day and night. We deserve a little vacation."
"He's got a point," Mayumi said with a smile, "hey Akane, want to go swimming?"
Akane shrugged, but her eyes twinkled in excitement and followed Mayumi to the water.
Haruhi sighed. "Personally, I think this is pointless and a waste of time, so can I go home now? I should really be studying, and I've got a ton of laundry to do today. Senpai, where are we anyway?"
:Just a While Ago… 15:38:
Haruhi, Mayumi, and Akane were walking from the school corridor, talking and giggling about the day they had.
: Ouran Academy – In Front of the South Building:
The twins sneaked up behind and grab them.
"Targets…" Kaoru started.
"…Captured," Hikaru finished.
"Wait! What the…" Haruhi cried.
"Hika-chan, if you don't let us go, I will pound you to the ground," Akane threatened as she squirmed in their grips.
"What's going on?!" Mayumi demanded to know.
Suddenly, a limo drove up to the group. Rolling down the tinted window, Tamaki, in sunglasses and lei, grinned in approval.
"Good work. Now take them with you," he told the twins
"Roger!" they saluted.
"Hold on. Where are we going?" Haruhi asked. But when the limo zoomed off, they were whisked away by the devious duo.
:Now:
"This place is a brand new theme park that my family, the Ootori group runs. It's called the Tropical Aqua Garden," Kyoya explained to the female host.
"I don't understand, I thought the Ootori group ran hospitals and that they're focused on the medical business, Kyoya-senpai."
"Yes, but my family likes to diversify and try different things. Besides, this place could be clarified as a healing facility. It's therapeutic. Think of all the people who are overworked and would just love a vacation in the south tropics. However, they may not be able to get the time off or they may not be able to afford it. Those people can now seek refuge here at this theme park and reduce their stress levels. The Ootori group's primary concern has always been for the good health and well-being of the general public," he further explained, wearing his usual host smile.
"It sounds suspicious to me," she muttered as her eyes drifted to the rest of the club.
Hunny was on Mori's shoulders, picking coconuts and flowers from the trees while Hikaru, Kaoru, Mayumi and Akane were playing volleyball out in the water.
Mayumi looked over at Haruhi who was standing on the edge of the pool.
"Did you really have to kidnap us? I'm sure if you had told me and Akane what you were doing we could have gotten her to come along without a fuss," she said.
"Well," Kyoya spoke up, "What's done is done, you're here now so, just try to enjoy this. The park doesn't officially open until next month, but the Host Club was given a special advance invitation."
"Me and Mayu-chan aren't in the Host Club," Akane reminded him.
"Yes, but the twins were highly insisted that you be allowed to attend," said Kyoya, "so please, enjoy."
Tamaki stretched his arms, "This is so relaxing. We don't have to worry about keeping all of our guests entertained for once. It's truly like a holiday for handsome young soldiers; I guess that's what you call it."
"Right, sure," said Mayumi as she threw a ball towards Hikaru. She noticed Haruhi still standing on the shore.
"Haruhi, are you bored?" she asked.
"Huh?" Haruhi asked right before Hunny jumped on her back.
"Haru-chan! Wanna share some coconut juice with me? Or do you wanna try a piece of the mango cake?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll have some coconut juice with you."
"I'll have some mango cake, if you don't mine," Mayumi said.
Hunny giggled and danced off towards the snack bar.
Mayumi watched him dance off before she noticed Haruhi watching Mori who was observing an exotic bird fly around. The tall host felt someone's eyes on him and turned around to notice Haruhi behind him.
"Haruhi, you wanna go check out the water slide?" asked Kaoru.
Hikaru joined them with a banana in his hand. "Hang on, what's the deal with that pullover you're wearing?"
"Blame Tamaki," groaned Mayumi.
:...just a little earlier:
"Here, do what you got to do," the twins dragged Haruhi, Mayumi and Akane and shoved up them another pair of twins who were dressed as maids.
"Okay, we'll do what we can," the first maid said.
"Ladies, just follow me," the second maid commanded, a creepy look in her eyes.
Mayumi knew who these maids were, as her eyes flashed with dangerous determination. "Ok, let's see what you got."
"Do you actually trust these women?" Haruhi asked.
"Eh, they're no more dangerous than the twins," said Mayumi, stepping through the door.
"Just make sure to not give me one too revealing, I doubt my big brother would like that," Akane said as she walked in.
The maids pulled Haruhi into the bathroom. "What are you doing? Hey, stop that!"
Mayumi and Akane started taking off their clothes.
"We've been asked to help you choose a swimsuit," one of the maids explained.
"We brought all of our mother's latest designs for you to choose from. Just pick whichever one you want," Hikaru called from outside the changing room.
"Thanks!" Mayumi called back.
"Wait hold on!" Haruhi shouted as the maids tried ripping off her clothes.
"Should we help?" Akane asked.
"Are you ready, girls? It's time to pick one," both maids sang.
Mayumi started going through the swimsuits, weeding out what didn't seem appropriate, or didn't suit a water park.
"But that's nothing but a couple of strings!" she heard Haruhi say, nervously.
"Find her a one piece," she instructed the maids, and continued searching until something caught her eye. "Oh, wait. This is perfect."
The maids both smiled and nodded. "Excellent choice, Miss Otake. We're sure the young masters will agree."
In no time, she changed into it. She found a colorful two-piece with a sunflower on the chest and shorts. "How are you two doing?" she asked her friends.
"I think I found one Takashi won't mind," said Akane, holding up a black two-piece with gold and silver rhinestones on the top.
"I think this one will work," said Haruhi, wearing a pink and white striped one-suit and a swim cap on her head.
As they came out, they saw Tamaki waiting for them.
"Something wrong, Tamaki?" Mayumi asked.
Tamaki looked like he wanted to cry and suddenly pulled out three shirt and short outfits.
"Where did you get those from?" Akane asked.
"Just hurry up and put them on. A proper young woman should not show that much skin until after she's married."
Mayumi scoffed. "Forget it, Tamaki. I'm going swimming."
She ran off and did a cannonball in the pool.
"Same here!" Akane said pushing Tamaki aside. "If I was going to wear something like that, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of finding a suit my brother would approve."
:End Flashback:
"So Haruhi's not going to swim?" Hikaru tossed the banana peel away.
"Doesn't look like it," Mayumi answered.
"You shouldn't let Tama-chan bully you Haru-chan," Akane called out.
"It's ok, I wasn't going to swim anyway. This isn't my idea of fun. I'm not that big on water parks. We're just going to send all day goofing off. Honestly, I'd rather be at home."
Mayumi put her hands on her hips. "You are such a lazybones."
"And a sourpuss," said Akane.
I don't understand what's so great about this place anyway. I mean all you really need to play in the water is a plastic pool.
"A plastic pool?" the twins overheard, "What's that?"
"You guys don't know what a plastic pool is?" Mayumi asked. "Let me explain, they're about the size of a bathtub, round, and you fill it up with air."
"You dunce," said Hikaru, shaking his head.
"That's an inflatable boat, dummy," Kaoru told her.
"A boat? You've got to be kidding me," groaned Mayumi. "That's not what I'm talking about, stupids."
She was startled by Tamaki suddenly pulling the twins off to the side.
"You idiots, if Mayumi and Haruhi say it's a pool, it's a pool. It's not their fault they don't know the difference." Both girls looked at each other.
"Should we be offended by this?" Haruhi asked.
"Yeah, I think so, " said Mayumi.
The twins started talking about the Tamaki made Haruhi cover up was because he was a jealous pervert.
"That's not it, at all!" he denied. "I was just trying to protect her innocence as any father and guardian would! After all, even if she is wearing a swimsuit, it is not decent for a lady to walk around, half-naked in front of boys! And..."
The twins pointed to the girls, who looked scary.
"Haru-Chan, Mayu-Chan, Akane! Let's play!" Hunny said cutely in his inflatable ring with bunnies on it, "You three wanna go swimming in the current pool with me?"
"Sure," said Mayumi.
"Nah, I'm not gonna swim today," said Haruhi. "Hold on, you know how to swim. Do you still need that float?"
"Mm-mn, just looks cuter this way, you know?" he giggled before prancing off.
Haruhi grinned "You're right. Those bunnies are pretty cute."
"He's so innocent," the twins added.
"No way! You got it all wrong!" a female voice cried out.
"Is that Renge?!" Haruhi said looking around.
"Oh no, a good afternoon ruined!" Akane moaned.
"Does the rig follow her or something?" Mayumi asked as Renge appeared from the floor in a black bikini that showed off a strange blue tattoo.
"That outfit is pretty impressive," Hikaru commented.
"What's with the tattoo on your stomach?" Kaoru asked.
"Oh, that? You don't recognize it?" she said, enjoying the attention.
"Let me guess. You're cosplaying," Mayumi called out as she walked over to the group. "As La-La from the manga magazine."
Renge smirked. "That's right! Her petite and slender frame. Her blue eyes that light up young men's faces. Her singing voice. La! I am Quon Kisaragi."
Mayumi was about to walk away from the group and join Honey in the water when Renge once again demanded their attention. "Listen up, boys! Obviously you need help understanding Haninozuka's hidden motives. Look!"
Everyone turned and watched Hunny dive into the water, giggling real cute like.
"Is he doing this on purpose?" Mayumi wondered.
"What are you talking about?" Tamaki asked her.
"Think about what he said to you earlier." The words, Just looks cuter this way, you know, rang in Mayumi's ears.
"He's not being as sweet and innocent as you think," Renge said.
"I agree," Kyoya added. "Try putting a word, "I" at the beginning of that sentence."
Mayumi thought back. Just looks cuter this way, you know?... I look cute. "I guess he is."
"That's Haninozuka for you. In the last episode, he felt threatened by another boy Lolita type, so he's taking steps to keep his rank. I should give him more credit. He's a lot smarter than I thought," she added as she lowers down with her rig.
"Hey, look at this, everybody!" Honey called out from the current pool, "Check it out!" He was sitting on Mori's back as he swam opposite of the current. "Look! Even though we're swimming really fast, we never go any further than we are now."
"Don't overdo it, Takashi," Akane said to her brother.
Mayumi was startled by Tamaki suddenly getting squirt and noticed the twins were holding water guns. 'Oh no, this is not going to go well.'
"I got ya!" Hikaru shouted
"Come on, boss, let's go. Let's have a water gun fight," said Kaoru.
"It will be me and Kaoru against you," Hikaru challenged, "If you get it in the face, you lose. What do you say?
Tamaki groaned, drying himself with a towel. "Forget it. Why would I want to subject myself to a childish game like that?"
Mayumi shifted her eyes to the twins looking evil.
"Mayumi, Haruhi!" both twins said as they wrapped the two girls up in their arms.
"I think it's time we got married," said Hikaru.
'Wait, what?' Mayumi thought. She figured he was joking, but still, Hikaru asking her to marry him? Why was she so disturbed about the whole proposal?
Just then she happened to notice Tamaki getting mad and seemingly messing with his own gun.
"Do you think I would let Haruhi and Mayumi marry you two?!" he said. He twirled around fast. "DADDY SAYS NO!" he shouted as he fired the gun towards her direction.
"Oh great," Mayumi muttered as the water hit her face.
Tamaki froze in fear. Mayumi grabbed a water gun and started pumping it. Each pump shook the ground like an earthquake.
"Tamaki..." Mayumi's eyes rose up with fire. "YOU ARE DEAD!"
"Yeah, get him Mayumi!" Hikaru cheered.
Haruhi sighed and headed to a chair to finish some of her juice. She noticed Mori walking up to her.
"Taking a break huh?" she asked, "want something to drink?"
"Yeah thanks," said Mori, taking the cup.
Tamaki did a fancy move with the water gun, but the twins shielded themselves with big totem masks.
"That's cheating!" Tamaki yelled, then slipped on the banana peel from earlier and tumbled into a totem pole that lit up.
"What the?" Mayumi asked as she noticed it start to light up. She heard a cup drop and turned to see Mori looking towards the wave pool Hunny was still in. She too, turned to a huge wave forming in the pool heading straight towards Hunny!
The girl then dives into the water to save him, but it was too late. The wave came and crashed on both of them. Mayumi could hear Hikaru shouting her name before she was engulfed by the water. She thrashed around frantically until she suddenly felt a small hand grasp hers. She barely managed to open her eyes to see Hunny keeping a firm grip on her before the water managed to calm down and the boy helped pull Mayumi onto shore.
"Mayu-Chan, are you okay?" He asked.
"Never mind me, are you alright?"
Hunny giggled. "Of course, I'm an excellent swimmer after all. We should head back to the main area, don't you think?"
"Yeah, let's head back."
The two began walking towards the direction they came from when Mayumi suddenly felt a drop of rain trickle down her face, followed by a sudden downpour.
"Quick Mayu-chan! We can under these palm trees," Honey instructed.
They huddled underneath the large banana leaves, waiting for the rain to subside.
"Are you okay, Mayu-chan?" the lolita boy asked, receiving a nod from her. "That's good. I wonder where that wave came from."
'I bet it was when Tamaki hit the totem pole,' Mayumi thought bitterly, 'Stupid Tamaki!'
"If this rain keeps up, we might not be able to go home."
"Don't worry, I'm sure the clouds will pass soon enough."
Honey's cheerful optimism put Mayumi's mind at ease. They talked for a bit about cakes and cats until the rain slowed down a bit.
"Hey, it's letting up," Mayumi said, lifting a hand to feel the rain.
"Mitsukuni! Mayu-chan!" Akane called out from the distance in her panda umbrella.
Mayumi blinked in surprise. "Akane, how did you find us?"
"Us Morinozukas have excellent eyesight. I saw where the wave was taking you and ran after it. Come on, let's head back."
"Good thing you brought an umbrella, Akane," Honey said, moving under the plastic shielding the three from the water.
"I always come prepared," she said, motioning to her leather bag as they walked. "My brother's really worried about you too! I think he's keeping Haru-chan close just so he feels like he can help protect someone until he finds you."
"Well he better make sure he takes good care of her!" said Hunny.
"Of course he will, you know my brother. He's someone you can depend on," Akane said matter-of-factly.
"Sounds like you look up to Mori a lot," Mayumi said.
"Well, he is my older brother, so he'll be taller than me," she said, causing Mayumi to sweat-drop.
"I didn't mean it in the literal sense!"
"I know, it was a joke," Akane explained, "Takashi always had to look after me growing up, so we spent a lot of time together. He didn't mind though. Even when I was too rough or threw a tantrum, he still played with me."
"You must be happy being in the same school with Mori."
"Not really," Akane said softly.
"Huh? Why not?"
"Mayu-chan, Akane used to attend another school," Honey told her. She then remembered the rumors of Akane's sudden transfer.
"Me and my brother, we practice judo from dawn to dusk, and we don't express our emotions well. But that is the extent of our similarities. Takashi is a prodigy in our family, while I was a delinquent with a record. My parents sent me to an all-girls school hoping that it would change me. It didn't work."
"What happened?" Mayumi urged her to continue.
"One of the teachers at the school was hitting on a student and wouldn't let her go. I got involved and beat up the teacher. When the cops arrived, the teacher was nearly unconscious and the girl was gone so I was arrested. Eventually the truth came out, but the school wanted to keep it hush-hush and it didn't change the fact I had assaulted a teacher. My parents had no choice but to send me to Ouran and have my brother keep a close eye on me. Now with his academics and extracurriculars, Takashi was burdened with looking after me."
Mayumi felt saddened by her story. She had no idea Akane was carrying such a heavy feeling of guilt in her heart all this time. She saw the female Morinozuka as a tough, guarded girl who likes cute things and sweets, someone who was confident and didn't care what others said or thought. But now she realized Akane was guarded and can be insecure at times.
"You're not a burden, Akane! Takashi loves you!" Honey stressed, wanting to convince his cousin of that.
"I wasn't suppose to be at Ouran. I was suppose to be at my old school, learning how to be a proper young lady who doesn't dishonor her family and trouble her brother with her temper."
"Akane, maybe it is hard for Mori to make sure you keep your temper in check, but it doesn't seem like he's burdened by it. I think Mori doesn't mind being there for his little sister."
Akane didn't respond, but Mayumi knew she heard her clearly. They kept walking until they reached a familiar part of the park.
Honey then spotted a tall teen with a smaller brunette a couple feet away from them.
"Mayu-chan, Akane, look! Takashi and Haru-chan!"
Suddenly, the two teens were surrounded by armed men, aiming their weapons at the taller one.
"The target has been captured by a suspicious man. We'll take them into custody," one of the men informed.
Another man spoke out to Mori. "You there! Put the boy down immediately! If you refuse, we'll remove him forcefully!"
When approaching the teen, Mori instinctively flung the man deep into the jungle.
"Oh, hold on!" Haruhi cried as she yanked away.
"The suspect is resisting! Prepare to fire warning shots!"
"Oh no, they're gonna shoot Mori!" Mayumi cried, but Honey and Akane simply glanced at each other, nodding as if they read each other's mind.
Hunny climbed up a tree and called out to the hosts. "Takashi, Haru-chan, out of the way!" The little blonde swung down on a vine, knocking down a few of the men.
"Honey-sempai?" Haruhi said in confusion.
Mayumi and Haruhi stared wide-eyed at the adorable senior that took out a bunch of grown men in one move.
Akane popped out, landing firmly on her feet. Several men approached her, but one by one she slams them to the ground.
"They're really good," Mayumi gasped in awe, "but there's too many of them, I better help them out."
Mayumi jumped in and fought alongside Honey, disarming men by the dozens with blows and swift footwork. Akane and Mori disable their opponents just as quickly, bodies flying everywhere due to their strong throws. Soon, they all surrendered, just in time for the other hosts to find them.
"Is everyone okay?" Tamaki asked with concern.
"We're fine Senpai," Haruhi answered.
"We heard shouting so we followed it all the way here," Kaoru explained.
"What happened?" Hikaru asked, eyeing the sight of countless defeated men lying on the ground.
"These men almost attacked Mori and Haruhi!" Mayumi told them.
"That was my mistake. I sent security to look for you and Honey but I forgot to mention that there were others in the jungle. I apologize."
'You don't seem that apologetic about it,' Mayumi thought bitterly of the charismatic yet calculating host.
"Geez, Akane. You really did a number on them," Hikaru mumbled, lightly kicking at the one of the groaning, half-conscious men.
"They were threatening Takashi," she mumbled.
"Akane was really worried about you, wasn't she Takashi?" Honey asked with a grin.
"Yeah, she's a good girl," he answered with a smile.
Akane blushed at her brother's praise, her blue eyes melting slightly and her expression softening.
"Good job helping Takashi, Akane," Honey said as he patted her head, "and Takashi, you've done a good job of protecting Haru-chan." It was a strange sight seeing the little boy pat his cousins's heads when they were bigger than him, but it was cute nonetheless.
"And Mayu-chan, you were amazing! How did you learn to fight like that?" Akane asked her.
"Oh, I learned martial arts from my dad. He's the owner the Otake dojo."
"The Otake dojo?" one of the men repeated as he got up from the ground, "That's where I train at!"
"I didn't know you knew martial arts," Haruhi said, "thanks for saving us, Mayumi."
The jungle was cleared of security officers, leaving the hosts and the girls to enjoy what was left of a quiet evening.
"You sure you're okay?" Hikaru asked as he approached Mayumi.
"Yeah, nothing I couldn't handle," she said smiling, "oh look, the sun is setting." They turned to catch the sun setting over the water, the sky glowing a warm orangey-red over the palm trees.
"Too bad we couldn't have a little more fun in the pool," Hikaru sighed.
Mayumi looked back at the family reunion between Hunny, Mori, and Akane, and Haruhi comforting an emotional Tamaki. Both girls had a faint smile on their faces. "It was still a pretty fun trip."
"So, boss, what do you think about going to the beach?" suggested Hikaru.
"Yeah, the beach would be nice," Kaoru added.
"You idiots, Haruhi is not interested in anything like that," Tamaki responded.
"Actually, I'd rather like going to the beach," Haruhi said, surprising everyone. "I may not be into this phony amusement park, but the real thing is nice. And it's so pretty."
"I'm with Haruhi," said Mayumi. "The beach is one of my favorite places to be."
"Then it's decided! That's where we're going next time!" Tamaki announced loudly.