Thanks to 13dragons13fires for F/F!

Chapter Three,

Call the Cavalry!

...

"So, how did it go?"

"Mmm, so-so. The doctors said I was improving at a steady rate, so that's good, right?"

"Yeah."

"...It's not your fault, y'know? How were you supposed to be able to tell if I was having a stroke?"

"I should've noticed. I should've taken you to the hospital faster."

"It's not—"

"But it is."

...

Kunai sat in silence next to Red in the cafeteria, frantically scribbling down the answers to his math homework. It was due tomorrow and he didn't want to have to do it after work. His cousin, Yui, would probably want to play with him so he wouldn't have time to do it.

"So..." Red glanced up from his phone, looking over at Kunai. "What're you gonna do about the whole thing with the Host club? You aren't a part of it, so you can't go there after school."

Kunai shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe I'll make friends with one of them somehow or I could join a club that's near them." Kunai knew he said he would 'protect' Tamaki, but wouldn't a regular bodyguard do? Why did they need a Yokai (albeit, a half human one) to come in and guard him? The school finding people frozen or finding someone in a cage of ice would be much more suspicious. "Oh, isn't the black magic club right next door to them?"

"You know there're a bunch of weirdos in there, right?"

"Yeah, but even so, there could be someone that could help me." Kunai let out a groan, banging his head against the table. "I wish Haruka was here. She would know what to do."

"Are you kidding?" Red snorted. "Haruka would just march in there and demand to become one of their members." The boy paused, thinking. "Maybe you should ask her. How's Haru doing? I haven't talked to her in a while."

"Pretty good, apparently," Kunai said with a smile. "I haven't been able to see her lately because of work, but I'm planning on visiting her Saturday." Come to think of it, I have a shift tonight.

"Maybe I'll come with you."

"She would probably like that. Haru's been having problems getting around, so the doctors have been making her take physiotherapy—it's driving her batty." Kunai snickered, pushing away his math homework. "Speaking of, Yui's afraid of bats now, so if she asks you to kill the monsters for her when you come over, be prepared."

"Haha, okay."

...

How can I get close to them? Kunai's mind drifted as he walked down the hallways of Ouran, heading for the outside. He had agreed to help Red and Sayuri with his project, so he'd stayed longer than usual. Kunai waved absentmindedly to a few girls that greeted him. The chairman said he had a way for me to get close but he didn't elaborate, so that was about as useful as my math class.

Thinking about math made his mood drop, causing Kunai to scowl. "Math is hard as it is, why do we need to add letters into the mix?"

"Kunai-kun!"

Kunai turned around with a feeling of dread, recognizing the voice. "Suoh-san?" The chairman of the school strode confidently down the hallway toward him. Kunai eyed him suspiciously as the chairman came to a stop. "How can I help you, sir?"

Yuzuru gave him a charming smile, patting Kunai on the back. "You have a moment, don't you? Come with me for a while. I have someone I want you to meet." Yuzuru winked at Kunai, leading him back down the way he came.

Kunai gestured at his phone. "You don't mind if I...?"

"Oh, go ahead, let your driver know you'll be late."

Kunai typed furiously, shooting a quick message to his driver to apologize, then sending one to his group chat.

To: Loserssss (Last edited by Picture_Perfect3 yesterday)

DogDork: Souh's dragging me to his office. If I don't text in an hour, send the calvary

Forest_Chick3331: Rly? Y?

Dog_Dork: Idk. Let you know later.

Picture_Perfect3: Can I keep ur dogs if u die

DogDork: No, you aren't having my dogs Tao. If I die, ur coming with me

Ignoring the buzzing protest of his friend, Kunai hastily shoved his phone in his pocket and tried to catch up with the older man. "So, uh, who do you want me to meet?"

"Remember when I said I'd find you a way into the host club?" Kunai nodded along, shoving his hands in his pockets. Out of habit, Kunai rubbed the fabric beneath his fingers which helped him calm his nerves. "This person will be your way in. I'm fairly certain you'll be able to tell who he is the moment you see him." Oh?

Yuzuru slowed his pace at the end of the corridor, Kunai following suit and stopping in front of Yuzuru's office. Kunai offered a polite smile to the secretary who nodded back. Kunai doubted she recognized him.

Kunai watched as Yuzuru grinned, eyes twinkling with mischief, and knocked on the door. "Guess who it is?"

"Dad!" A blond flew out of the office with a flurry of annoyance. He was very tall and towered over Kunai - who was a mere 5'9. "You said you'd be here when school ended!"

"I lied." The blond's eyebrow twitched, but he sighed, seeming used to his father's antics. "You're so cute when you're angry, Tamaki."

Tamaki looked like he wanted to retaliate, but noticed Kunai. The teen coughed awkwardly as he straightened his tie, his cheeks slightly flushed. "My apologies..." Tamaki made a noise of surprise. "Oh, aren't you-?"

Kunai gave him a polite smile and bowed slightly. He knew who this was, all right. "Silver Kunai, second son and third child of the Silver family. Nice to meet you again, Suoh-senpai." Oh, Amaterasu, what have I gotten myself into?

The chairman's son looked him up and down with a hum. "Well, he could use some cleaning up, but he'll do. This is the one you wanted to talk to me about, right, dad?" Oh, dear lord, I bet Suoh-senpai will be just as manipulative as his father. This is going to be great.

"That's right," Yuzuru said, shooting a wink at Kunai. "He's a very capable boy, so I'm sure he can handle it."

Kunai's sense of foreboding grew. Capable of what? "Ah, sure, I'm pretty adaptable so I think I can do... it."

Tamaki hummed, a slight crease appearing in his brow. "The real problem is his sloppy way of dress and lack of enthusiasm." Tamaki gestured to his lack of suit jacket and messy tie. "If you're going to be a part of the host club, you'll have to sharpen up!"

...Uh, say what?

The chairman laughed, nudging Kunai in the side, a message to keep it up. "Of course, he'll dress the part as well. After all, it is to balance Silver-kun's academic record. Maybe if he does well, we can boost him up to B class," Yuzuru said, glancing at Kunai, who was trying to process how 'a way in' became 'join the club'. "Besides, his friend - Sayaka-san, was it? She goes there too, so you could get her to help break him in as well."

"Sayako," Kunai corrected, "Her name is Sayako Sayuri."

Tamaki gave him a goofy grin. "Ah, Sayuri-hime," he said. Hearing a complete stranger call Sayuri by her first name annoyed Kunai. "She's one of Honey-senpai's regulars. She's a nice girl."

"Yeah, until you piss her off." Kunai smiled dryly. "Have you ever woken up to ants crawling in your bed?"

Tamaki looked a little pale. "Erh, no, I haven't. Surely there must've been a mix-up-"

Kunai looked unconvinced. "A mix-up with my bedsheet and a bunch of bugs in the middle of the night while I was sleeping. Sure."

The chairman cleared his throat. "Anyway, Tamaki, I'm sure you can show Silver-kun the ropes, right? It wouldn't be too much trouble for you to have a new friend to add to your club."

Tamaki perked up. "Friend?" He grinned widely. "Of course not! Follow me, Kunai - I can call you Kunai, right?"

"Uh-"

"Great!" Tamaki grabbed Kunai's wrist - "Wow, your skin is really cold!" - and promptly dragged him out of the office, blabbering on about the history of the school. Kunai struggled to get away, saying something about personal space.

Their voices faded as they paraded down the hall, leaving Yuzuru alone once again. He savoured the quiet - as much as he loved his son, peace wasn't something that normally followed Tamaki.

"Well," the chairman said after a moment, sitting down in his chair with a groan. "That could've been worse." Yuzuru sat in the silence, waiting for a reply that would never come. He leaned forward, lost in thought. He sighed, running a gentle hand down the wooden frame of a photo encasing his son. "No matter what I have to destroy - be it my own relations or another company's business - I promise I will make a future for you... and your mother."

...

"-a place for beautiful boys with too much time on their hands to entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands." Tamaki spun in an elegant circle, gesturing around the Music room.

It was a nice room, as expected of Ouran Academy, although not as aesthetically to Kunai pleasing as his own home. There were soft, plush red couches scattered across the floor, each with their own hand-carved wood table in between. Several windows and large chandeliers allowed for light to enter the room. Oddly enough, there was also a curtained off area that drew Kunai's attention.

"Just think of it as Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful," Tamaki finished with a smile. "After all, you will be staying here for a while." Does he realize how ominous that sounds? "Do you need me to repeat anything?"

The tedious and boring lecture about the history of the school made him shudder. "No!" Kunai caught himself and cleared his throat. "I mean, no, thank you. I think I got most of it." A lie. It was so boring that Kunai started wondering what the maids were making for dinner that night. It was pasta yesterday, so there might be a salad of some kind that night. The head chef loved making salads. Gods, where is my mind going? "Um, Suoh-senpai?"

Tamaki raised an eyebrow. "What is it, little one?"

Little-? Against his better judgment, Kunai ignored the pet name. "What exactly is it that you want me to do?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" Tamaki broke into another grin and walked over to one of the couches. He sat down and crossed his legs, pointing a finger in the air. "I want you to be a host!"

Kunai looked at him blankly. "And that entails...?"

"Talking to the ladies, offering them tea, pleasing them, and entertaining their wishes," Tamaki said. "The Ouran High School Host Club is here for one reason," He smiled, one much warmer than the ones he's given before. "And that is to make every girl happy."

Kunai hummed, a little impressed. He'd expected him to have some kind of ulterior motives, but it didn't seem that way. Tamaki appeared to genuinely want to make everyone happy. He's similar to Haru. "So you want me to talk to the girls and make them happy? That's it?"

"That's it," Tamaki agreed. "We have an event coming up soon too, so it'll be a great time to introduce you to the girls."

Kunai looked Tamaki up and down. The blond had gentle blue eyes and a friendly air, his body language open and relaxed. His clothes were immaculate and tidy, no wrinkle to be seen. "You know, Suoh-senpai-"

"Call me king!"

Ignoring him, Kunai continued. "You aren't what I expected at all. You're actually pretty nice."

"Pardon?"

Kunai shook his head with a chuckled. "Nothing," he said. "Nothing at all."

Tamaki looked baffled for a moment before shaking it off and returning back to his normal self. "Now for some training!"

"Huh?"

...

"Ugh," Kunai groaned, leaning over the counter of the cafe. "I'm so done." Tao glanced over at him, an eyebrow raised. "Who knew there were so many ways to pick up a cup?"

"Your meeting with the chairman turned into a lesson on picking up cups?" Tao grinned. "Damn, you really are a rich kid. Why are you working here again?"

Kunai scowled. "Yeah, I am, and I came here because I wanted to get my mom a surprise birthday gift. She liked it, I liked it, so I stayed." Kunai gave him a pointed stare, as he'd explained for what felt like the millionth time. "And no, the meeting with the chairman was so I could meet his son. Apparently I'm a..." Kunai paused, trying to remember the word. "It was an English word, so it's kind of hard to pronounce. At any rate, Suoh-senpai started teaching me how to place cups, pour tea, smile, greet, you name it. I never knew there was an improper way to smile."

"Sucks to suck, doesn't it?" Tao gave Kunai a pristine customer service smile. "It's harder to get better than perfection." He flipped his hair teasingly. "If only you had the charisma I do."

Kunai snorted. "Yeah? If you want to take my place, be my guest." Kunai pursed his lips together. "The worst part of it was that he kept trying to touch me - you know how cold my skin is. He'll start getting concerned and then how will I explain that I have a body temperature that's about fifteen degrees below normal?" He sighed. "First world problems."

"I think you're about the only person who has that problem."

A voice from behind startled them. "I don't pay you two to chat, you know. If you have nothing to do, mop the floor!" A boy with spiky black hair handed Kunai a mop and a bucket. His sharp brown eyes gave a focused stare that would make anyone squirm.

"Yessir," Kunai drawled unenthusiastically. "I'll get right on it, Manager-san."

"Haha, you pissed off Ryuu-kun."

Ryuu, the black haired boy, faced Tao and handed him a sponge and a pail of water. "You do the bathrooms."

"Aw, what?" Ryuu rolled his eyes and walked away. "But I thought I was your favourite!"

"My favourite is Sayuri-chan, who actually does her job without flirting, taking pictures, and chatting the entire time she's on break." Ryuu pushed through the half-door that lead to the kitchen. Tao shrugged. It was true.

"Haha, you pissed off Ryuu-kun," Kunai whispered Tao's words back mockingly.

Tao let out a playful growl and lightly punched Kunai with his fist. "You wanna go? I'll take you down, bro - let's take this outside!"

Ryuu poked his head back through the door. "How about you both go outside - and bring the trash with you!"

"So I just have to carry Tao."

"Listen here, you-!"

...