Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club does not belong to me
This is my very first attempt at this anime - I usually don't venture outside Naruto even for such favourites such as Bleach and Samurai Champloo since that's what I feel most comfortable with but Ouran definitely deserves a try (Kyouya...Hikaru...sigh...). So please enjoy!
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All that I give you
One-shot
"Kyouya-senpai?"
The tall, lean boy turned, an expression of recognition flitting across his face as the girl came up to him. Haruhi smiled up at him, the pair of them forming an oasis of stillness amidst the bustling afternoon street. A couple of high school girls giggled and shot him shy glances, undeterred when he completely ignored them.
"Haruhi."
"You're walking home today?"
"So it seems. I had something to attend to."
He started walking again, slowing down politely to accommodate her smaller steps. The sun was shining brightly but not oppressively so, the muted colours of nature preparing for the onset of autumn. Kyouya nodded at the bag of groceries in her arms.
"Is that a different brand of instant coffee?"
"Huh?"
Haruhi looked down at the small container that was clearly visible from above. She supposed it wasn't surprising that he would remember such small detail; after all, the host club had been using instant coffee at Tamaki's insistence ever since she had first bought it and Kyouya had always been meticuously attentive to all comings and goings in the club.
"Yeah, there was a sale at the grocery store today so I thought I would give this one a try."
She thought he looked as though he wanted to investigate further so she passed the container over to him. Indeed, Kyouya took a minute to read through the label, even going so far as to lightly shake the dark brown contents.
"Is there a great difference in taste?"
"Hmm, not really. Coffee is coffee, right?"
He gave her a slightly affronted look, as though he wanted to argue with that comment but decided it wasn't worth it. He handed the bottle back to her, elegantly pushing his glasses back up his nose.
"Perhaps you could buy this brand next time. It would be interesting to see if the others are able to tell a difference."
"Okay."
Haruhi stifled a small yawn, not wanting him to think that she was bored by his company. On the contrary, she found the youngest Ootori rather interesting, fascinating even. There was a complexity to him that was absent from the other members of the host club, a certain kindness simmering underneath that carefully constructed veneer of privileged indifference. She wouldn't call it innocence by any means, not innocence in the sense you would consider Tamaki-senpai, Honey-senpai or even the twins.
Haruhi thought it was more and less than that.
A familiar sight caught the corner of her eye.
"Is it special?"
Kyouya looked down at her, inclining his head faintly in question at the sudden inquiry. Haruhi nodded at his chest where a beautifully wrought chain lay partially visible in the open collar of his shirt.
"Your necklace. Is it special?"
"What do you mean?"
She took a small step towards him and he did not retreat. A small group of children ran by, laughing loudly now that school was over.
"I've seen you wear it before, like that time in the shopping mall. I was just wondering if it meant something to you."
A pale hand rose to hover over said item before dropping back down. Kyouya shrugged, the rise and fall of his shoulders carelessly graceful.
"No, not really. It's a necklace."
"Ehh…"
They continued on wordlessly for a while, the silence unusually companionable rather than forced. Walking alongside him like that, Haruhi noticed just how much taller he was than her. It was strange.
"Why do you ask?"
"Hmm?"
His eyebrow rose. She had forgotten about their previous conversation already? Somehow, he felt as though he should have expected that.
"My necklace. Why do you ask?"
Haruhi blinked. He sounded almost interested. She gave it some thought.
"I'm not sure. It's nice, I guess."
"Nice?"
He had stopped walking all of a sudden so she did the same. They stared at each other for a moment, each feeling like they should be surprised but unsure as to why that should be. He was startled when a soft sound of laughter escaped her lips, the unaffected sound as unexpectedly soothing as when he had first heard it.
Unbidden, the corner of his lips twitched in response.
Kyouya waited patiently for her apparent amusement to subside, the girl gesturing apologetically but cheerfully as she did so.
"Yes, it's nice. I like it."
The laughter bubbled up again. And for some reason, he found himself laughing quietly along with her. A number of passerbys looked at them inquiringly, their eyes both curious and admiring.
A black car pulled up beside them, the driver jumping out to bow and open the back passenger door.
"My apologies, Obo-sama. There was a traffic jam."
"It's fine."
Straightening, Kyouya gave her an odd look, speculative and restrained. He motioned to the car.
"Did you need a ride home, Haruhi?"
She shook her head, shifting the small bag of groceries more comfortably in her arms.
"No, that's okay. I can walk home from here. It's not that far."
"Then I'll see you tomorrow."
Watching as he slid into his seat and the driver shut the door quietly before heading back around the car, Haruhi bent over, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
"Senpai?"
The tinted window rolled down and the boy paused, turning his head slightly to glance over at her. The sun was shining down on them and he could hardly see her features as she stood next to him. For that matter, Haruhi could not see his eyes at all as the sunlight reflected off of his glasses.
She smiled easily, lifting her hand in a small wave before she started walking off.
"It's nothing. See you tomorrow."
He nodded briefly, the window going back up as he settled back in his seat.
"Start the car, please."
And as the large, expensive car drove off, if she had turned back to watch him, she might have seen sun reflected back in her direction.
-o-O-o-
"You go first, Haruhi!"
As always, both voices chimed out simultaneously. Haruhi obediently turned the handle, the twins close behind her helping her push the heavy doors open. The three of them swayed slightly as a perfumed gush of wind rolled out towards them, bringing with it its usual swirls of rose petals along the way.
The entire room was lit solely by candles, throwing them into a calculated atmosphere of romance and mystery, never mind the fact that it was three-thirty in the afternoon and the sun was still shining brightly outside behind the heavy curtains.
"Eh?"
The rest of the Host Club was already there, gathered in the middle of the room to greet their guests, most of whom were whispering admiringly among themselves at the small tables.
"Haru-chan! Hika-chan, Kaoru-chan!"
Honey-senpai bounded towards them, both he and his rabbit decked out in full-on, old-fashioned Shakespearean costumes. He peered up at her eagerly, all smiles and enthusiasm, looking for all the world like a child playing dress-up.
"Haru-chan, look! We're doing another cosplay today! Bun-bun got dressed up too!"
"Wrong, Honey-senpai!"
The blond lounging in his throne swung his legs to the floor, an inexplicable wave of golden sparkles following his every movement. There was an awed gasp from the tables and Kyouya jotted down the favourable reaction for further reference.
"This is not cosplay; it's our trip through time, back to the Renaissance period! A period of glamour and art, where beauty was not only limited to such perfect beings such as ourselves, but also created! Created in the form of Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet…"
"I think you've got the wrong era, senpai."
He scurried up to her, effectively nudging the indignant twins out of the way as he continue to spout non-stop about the clashes between music and drama and how it was their job, nay, their duty to demonstrate to the world the exact art of combining the two together. Haruhi sighed; he was in his element again.
"Oh, my beautiful daughter! You've arrived just in time; daddy was just thinking about how amazing you would look in your costume! I chose it specifically for you – it matches daddy's, see, see?"
Tamaki struck a dashing pose as a couple of spotlights blared down on him right on cue. A few of the girls squealed excitedly in the background, clutching each other mid-swoon as he slowly and deliberately ran his hand through his hair, the golden strands glimmering as if in slow motion.
"Hurry up and put it on, Haruhi! I can't wait to see how we look next to each other. Okaa-san?"
Kyouya barely glanced up, seemingly preoccupied with dusting away a non-existent piece of lint from his shirt.
"It's in the changing room."
Haruhi blinked as she was sheparded into far section of the Music Room, both twins' arms draped over her slim shoulders. They chattered away above her head, plotting between the two of them on how they could possibly use the prop skull Tamaki had been holding during his little speech. Sighing again, she nodded absently as the twins disappeared behind their respective curtains, Hikaru ruffling her hair affectionately as he went.
Placing her book bag on one of the chairs, she peered into the bag with mild curiosity, hoping against hope that Tamaki had not really gotten her the exact same garish red, yellow and blue peacock thing he was currently sporting to great effect.
Something glinted in the soft lighting. Her eyes widened.
It was his necklace, nestled carefully on top of the bundle of elaborate Renaissance clothing.
Haruhi lifted her head, her eyes seeking and finding the tall figure standing casually in a nearby corner, jotting down notes and smiling welcomingly at passing customers as he surveyed the bustling room. Kyouya looked up, their eyes meeting briefly.
And in that split second, Haruhi smiled.
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The End.
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A/N: Hope that turned out okay. I didn't want to go too much into the romance aspect since this is only a short one-shot but hopefully the feeling you get from this is realistically similiar to what their relationship (such as it is) would feel like in real life.
Anyways, thanks for reading and please review!