A/N:
It's been a while, hasn't it?
Well, this time I'm going to go with the anime version of Ouran High School Host Club's ending and continuing on from there. So if you haven't seen all of Ouran, some of this may be a little confusing. It's not a very good spoiler...right now.
Anyway, my characterization is a bit off now since I haven't written for a fan-fiction piece in some time, but I tried to present a first chapter to what I hope is an interesting story.
Please, enjoy and review.
Chapter One
Kyouya's Game
"Does anyone else feel some-what pissed off other than me?"
Kyouya glanced up from the chart displayed upon the screen of his notebook computer. The same one he had kept since it was released earlier that year, and it had been a faithful Pineapple notebook, especially in aiding his plans to take over the Ootori hospitals and scrape up every bit of his father's power just to throw it back in his face. Of course, that didn't stop him from checking in on the incomes every now and then. His father was in charge, but he still had a firm grip on his company's workings.
"Hikaru?" Kaoru touched his brother's shoulder with an honestly puzzled expression that told Kyouya the twins were not on the same wave-length for once.
"How can everything revert back to the way it was after the festival?"
"Is that the released bone marrow speaking or your emotions?" the third son asked casually, earning a sharp glance from the elder Hitachiin.
Kaoru settled his brother down while Kyouya went back to his work, trying to put out the blaze that Ootori had definitely fanned into flame.
Ootori, Kyouya was not stupid, everyone knew of that, especially him. He knew that things had not completely reverted back to the way they were since the Ouran Festival. Countless matters had changed the club beyond recognition in many of the members' eyes. What hadn't changed, however, was their king's thickness.
"Whether or not Tamaki comes to terms with how he really feels about Haruhi is something we will have to wait for. Until then, she is fair game to all of us, right, Kaoru?" Hikaru asked, in a better mood due to the experienced calming exercises his brother practiced upon him.
"That's true." Kaoru smirked, "No one has staked a claim on her after all."
"Hikaru, Kaoru." Kyouya pushed the screen down and the notebook clicked, the silence of the hard drive marking the end of his handling of his company affairs.
"What is it?"
The junior rose and raised a hand; pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his finger before sliding it home in his pocket. "I have a game for you two."
The twins exchanged some-what perplexed glances but when they analyzed the deviant tone in the voice of their Shadow King, their lips curved into their mirrored smirks.
"How do we play?"
With the Ouran Festival over with, things seem to have returned to normal in the ways of the Host Club. Haruhi could tell because their customers were back and no one came to her or the others asking if the club was truly going to be disbanded. Tamaki's announcement to them while under the influence of his Grandmother's plan including Éclair seemed to have been kept under wraps. But she was not disappointed in the fact that the club did not disperse as if it never were. Fujioka, Haruhi was actually glad to still have Haninozuka, Mitsukuni bounding up to her to grasp her arm and swing her around in one of his energetic circles. She also didn't mind seeing Hikaru caressing Kaoru's face in front of some ecstatic customers either…Takashi, Morinozuka would then pry Hunny-sempai away and she would be allowed to move on with her own customers. The loyalty these girls had for their club some-what astounded her sometimes, she became a little more thoughtful with their affections towards each host; carefully calculating just how much one girl may love the host more than another.
It was a strange way for her to spend her time in between charges, but she liked it a little. It was better than setting out to purchase instant coffee due to unnecessary pampering from the Hitachiin twins. But Haruhi also noticed that Ootori, Kyouya hadn't really received any customers as of late. He would politely turn them down for a later date and then work on scanning the funds for the club or work on his laptop a little more than he had to. She even noticed that he stayed after club activities once or twice…but other than that, everything else seemed normal.
Well, there was that one little exception with the fact that the Ouran Host Club was never normal.
Sitting down at her table, Haruhi sighed. A few months ago she would have left the club in a heartbeat without a care in the world since her debt had been paid now. But it wasn't earlier, it was now and Fujioka found herself in a tight spot. She stayed with them, she loved them, but the moment she told her father, he made her wonder which one of them.
Loving an Ouran student was ludicrous in her mind. Besides, love was a complicated emotion and she was beyond confident she would stay away from it while she studied in this prestigious school of rich snobs in uniform. Well, she couldn't really think of them that way anymore. Said snobs had become quite dear to her now, in spite of her better judgment.
"Haruhi."
She jumped at the sound of Kyouya's voice so suddenly.
Poor girl had been spacing out a bit too much.
"Kyouya-sempai?"
"You have one more customer scheduled today." He pointed out, scribbling something down in the handy-dandy notebook that replaced the electronical one whenever he needed to wonder around the music room to the other hosts.
"Ah—only one?" she tilted her head a bit; "I can go home afterwards, right?"
"Hm?" he glanced up but she could only see the glare in his glasses.
"Well, I was called up to the super-intendant's office this morning…" she explained, and wondered why she hadn't been thinking about that conversation earlier as opposed to the actions of the host club. Since when did she believe she had such free-time?
"MAH?!"
Haruhi braced herself.
It wasn't long before Suoh, Tamaki was present and accounted for, grasping her shoulders and staring at her with burning eyes that asked a million questions. Only a few seemed to come out of the king though.
"Haruhi, what happened? What did my father say to you?! Tell, Daddy what he said!"
Sighing, Haruhi reminded him bluntly that he was not her father, she had lost track of times she had to remind him this, but he still persisted.
She couldn't believe she expected him to stop after the festival.
Stupid idea.
"It wasn't anything serious." She said firmly, narrowing her eyes at the over-reacting junior, "the super intendant wanted to see me because I am allowed to attend Ouran as long as I keep at the top of my class. Due to some previous things I had to deal with I couldn't keep up with my studies and another student pulled ahead of my grades. He showed some concern and reminded me of my conditions for my loans but that was all. If I can go home early then I can get back to my studying sooner."
"Well then, we should speed things along with your next charge, I suppose." Kyouya said, closing the binder and resting it upon the table.
Haruhi and Tamaki stared as the spectacled teen drew out the chair and sat down in it, folding his arms over the table and peering over at Haruhi expectantly.
"Um, Kyouya-sempai?"
"Kyouya—"
"Tamaki, you have guests of your own. I assure you I will not keep her long." Kyouya said; fixing Tamaki with a rather emotionless smile but his eyes held a powerful dismissive glare that made the host king release Haruhi and slowly return to his table in a dazed stupor.
It was obvious Tamaki had no idea of what Kyouya was thinking.
Frankly, Haruhi had no idea either.
"Um, should I get you some tea or coffee?" she asked, ready to retrieve refreshments in order to begin the hosting ritual and stifle the confusion.
"No." Kyouya said shortly.
Haruhi rest her hands in her lap.
"There's no doubt you are wondering why I designated myself your customer today, Haruhi." He stated, adjusting his glasses.
"This doesn't seem like something you would do, so yes, I'm at a loss." She confirmed, feeling some-what nervous.
Incapable of fidgeting, as Tamaki may have done in such a situation, Kyouya held no secret nerves like others would. He already planned out everything over and over again and confirmed that there would be no side-effects to his decision, at least, none that would affect him.
"I am designating you as my host for the rest of this week."
"Eh?!" Haruhi's eues practically bugged out.
Kyouya chuckled.
"Ah—why would you designate me? D-Don't you already have customers of your own? Can a host even host another one?" she pressed her hands on the table, "Kyouya-sempai…you're serious aren't you?"
The third son gave one small nod.
"Um, alright. If that's what you have arranged then—I guess I'll have to do it." She said hesitantly.
"Excellent." He smirked, "But there are a few conditions I will have you fulfil while hosting myself. It will not damage your reputation and I know it will not bother you; considering your lack of gender awareness you are so bent on."
Haruhi shrugged, but didn't understand why that mattered.
"You already know that the host club profits off of their customers, but while you are hosting me, I will be paying for your serviceds."
"—and then I'll be in debt to you afterwards, correct?" she asked flatly. The initial shock wore off with the thought of more debts she would owe to members of the club.
Kyouya shook his head slowly, raising a hand and tilting his head to the side a bit, resting his temple against the knuckles. "Some of the funds will go to the club, but a quarter of your income for this week will be a payment to you for fulfilling a few requests for me."
The revelation of no debt brightened the idea a little, but there was still the fact that she would be hosting another host for no real reason.
"Do you agree to my terms?"
"Ah—yes." She nodded once, "But—"
Kyouya was already rising from his chair; picking up the notebook as he pushed the seat back in.
"Kyouya-sempai," he paused. "Why designate me?" she asked.
The corner of the junior's lips curved a bit as he adjusted his glasses one last time.
"Merits."