Dreams & Rose Petals
By Scarly
♦♥♦
This is my first Ouran fan fiction, please feel free to give me constructive criticism, and tell me if there is anything I need to improve on.
Chapter 1: <font= "+2" face= "Pristina">The Music Room[]
In a almost empty class room, a brunette girl, with her hair styled in a ponytail, sat at the window, staring out at the clear blue skies. There was a sadness in her brown eyes. She wore the yellow uniform that all Ouran high school girls wore, a yellow dress, with a white collar and cuffs, a red tie, white stockings, and black shoes. She had a notebook open on her lap. Someone had given her the directions to the host club. A topic that seemed to be mentioned most often, by girls with affection, by boys with bitter jealousy.
'A host club? Seems like a waste of time...' she thought, ending with a lonely sigh.
The girl named Hiiro, did wonder what it would be like to go to such a place. She had joined this school a month ago, and she still didn't have any friends. She would watch other people chatting away in their own happy little bubbles, not even bothering to engage her in conversation.
Hiiro stood up, and walked out of the classroom carrying her notebook. She walked down the corridors, it was so empty, that she could hear her own foot steps echo. She continued to walk, until she found herself outside 'Music Room 3.' This room was familiar to her, but she hadn't been here before. It never occurred to her, that it was the very room, that was on the note a girl named Renge had given to her.
She pushed open the door just far enough to see what was going on inside, but not be noticed by the people inside. All of the girls in her class was here drinking coffee or talking with one of four boys. One however walked around the room, almost like a shadow, taking notes or whatever he was writing on that clipboard. He noticed Hiiro right away, even though she was not aware of it.
The lonely girl decided not to venture inside today, so she turned away, and closed the door. Bounding down the corridor, was a small boy carrying a pink bunny, he was smiling brightly. He stopped near Hiiro, with a victorious laugh. Hiiro noticed a taller stoic boy casually walking towards them.
"I told you I would win, Takashi!" the younger boy said, excitedly.
"Mm," 'Takashi' grunted.
Hiiro was about to walk away, when the younger boy turned to her, with a bright smile.
"Are you coming inside? We have plenty of cake!" he said, saying the last part with such affection to his beloved cake.
"Um... no... I was... but.." Hiiro mumbled. She was so used to people ignoring her, except occasionally, when one of the girls in her class would speak to her.
"Oh...." the smaller boy said, sadly. He quickly perked up. "If you do come inside, request Honey and Mori, and we can have some cake!"
The two boys walked into the music room, leaving Hirro alone. Hiiro walked away from the music room, regretting not going inside. She convinced herself that it couldn't possibly be as fun in there, as she thought it would be, to rid herself of her regret.
♦♥♦
The following day, during class, Hiiro thought about what she had seen inside the music room. She briefly considered accepting the boy's offer, to request him.
'Should I go? The girls did seem like they was having fun...' Hiiro thought. She brushed some strands of hair out of her face, with her hand.
After class, she walked to the cafeteria, her thoughts lost in what she had seen. She didn't even notice that Renge had called out to her, or was even walking beside her.
"Hiiro?" Renge asked, for the forth time.
Hiiro shook her head and blinked, when she realised that Renge was speaking to her. "Yes?" Hiiro replied.
"Are you coming to the host club later? Honey told me that he invited you," Renge enquired. She had one eye closed, and was looking at Hiiro through the other.
"Maybe, I don't know.." Hiiro replied.
Renge would have stuck around to talk more, but her otaku sense told her she was needed in the host club music room. Again, Hiiro was left alone.
Chapter 2: Meeting The Shadow King[]
"I'm not putting on that dress!!" Haruhi yelled, as once again, Tamaki had asked her to wear girls clothing. "Stop being such a perv, Sempai!"
"Perv?" Tamaki replied, like she had broken his heart. "I'm no perv! I just want my daughter to be happy, and wear beautiful dresses!" he added, with the same dramatic tone he always did.
Some of the other club members, Kaoru, Hikaru, Hunny and Mori, ignored Haruhi and Tamaki's 'discussion.' Honey of course was happily enjoying a piece of cake, while Mori sat at the same table. Mori didn't say anything, even though he was concerned that Honey would rot out all of his teeth.
"Please wear the dress, Haruhi..." Tamaki whined, as he held up a very feminine pink dress. "It will make Daddy happy..."
"No way," Haruhi said, flatly.
"Pleeeaase?" Tamaki whined, hoping that she would give in this time.
There was a loud noise, that came from the mechanism that raised the revolving platform. Renge's otaku cackle could be heard, as she was raised into the club room.
"Haruhi crossdressing? I'd love to see you in a dress!" she said, eagerly.
"I wonder if that girl will stop by, Takashi," Honey said, before taking a bite of cake.
"Girl?" Hikaru said, suddenly taking interest now. Well, actually he was bored, and wanted to listen to something other than Tamaki presuring Haruhi to wear a dress. He stood near the table.
"What girl?" Kaoru added, whilst leaning on Hikaru's shoulder.
Honey finished his current mouthful of cake, before picking up Usa-Chan. Tamaki still continued to pressure Haruhi, but he was now being ignored, even by Haruhi.
"Takashi and I met a girl yesterday, she looked like she wanted to come in here, but she didn't," Honey explained.
♦♥♦
Hiiro stood in the line, trying to decide what she wanted to eat. It all looked so good, to her. She wasn't really looking where she was going, and bumped into a student in front of her. Both Hiiro and the boy in front of her - Kyoya, dropped the notebooks they was holding.
"I'm so sorry!" she muttered, as she bent over to grab the notebook she dropped.
Hiiro looked at the cover of the notebook, she realised that it wasn't her's. It looked more like a binder, than a notebook.
"I must apologise, Princess," Kyoya said, coolly. He used the charming act, that he saved for guests and girls. None of them knew the real Kyoya like the host club did. He had picked up Hiiro's notebook. "I believe this is yours." He held out her notebook.
"Yes, it is.." she said, her cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment. She took her notebook, and exchanged it with his binder.
"If you will excuse me, I am needed else where," Kyoya said, politely. Kyoya left the cafeteria, heading back to the host club.
Hiiro selected her lunch, and sat down at a table. She could hear two girls at the table talking about the host club, they was mostly talking about how "dreamy and handsome" Tamaki was.
♦♥♦
Kyoya returned to the abandoned music room, just in time to hear Honey talking about meeting Hiiro.
"You mean Hiiro right? She's in our class," Renge said, before she pretended to drink 'commoner's coffee.' She didn't much care for it.
"What? You mean that girl that doesn't speak to anyone?" Hikaru added, vaguely remembering Hiiro.
"She's like a more girly version of Haruhi," Kaoru said, flatly. He was actually bored, and wanted to slightly annoy Haruhi.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Haruhi snapped.
"Who is she, anyway?" Tamaki asked, joining in with the conversation now.
"Hiiro.." Renge said, but was interrupted by Kyoya.
"Dorimu. Daughter of a quite well known architect, also a valuable associate of the Ootori family," Kyoya said, reading from a record of her, in his binder.
"When did you run a background check on her?" Haruhi asked, with total surprise.
"Yesterday, when I saw her peeking through the door. I ran a check on her, in case she decided to request anyone," Kyoya replied.
"Maybe Hiiro needs a little push, to encourage her to come in here," Honey suggested. He then began to eat another slice of cake, it was chocolate cake this time.
Chapter 3: I Request...[]
On her way home later that day, Hiiro thought again about the host club. She had heard about all the hosts, just from all the other girls in her class talking about them. She wondered who she would request, if she was to go to the host club. But, she shook her head.
'It doesn't matter.. I wouldn't be able to go inside anyway...' Hiiro thought.
The following morning, she found a note in her desk. She assumed it was for her, but, to make sure, she checked who it was addressed to, it said her name. So, she read the note, it was an anonymous letter, asking her to meet this person outside music room 3 after school.
After all her classes was done for the day, she walked down the corridor to a certain music room. There wasn't anyone there, when she arrived. Hiiro waited for five minutes, before she decided to look inside the host club's club room.
Hiiro placed her hand on the golden door handle, her hand was kinda sweaty. She turned the handle, and pushed the door open. She stepped inside the clubroom, it was almost exactly how she saw it the other day. It took her a few seconds to pluck up the nerve to walk further in the room.
"It looks like we have a new guest, gentlemen!" Tamaki said, as he appeared at Hiiro's side. "Welcome to the host club, Princess.."
Hiiro blushed with embarrassment, at being made almost center of attention like this. Honey grabbed her hand, and twirled her around.
"Yay! Hiiro-chan! We can have cake!" Honey said, with excitement.
"Um..." Hiiro muttered. She didn't want to request Honey, but she didn't want to disappoint him. She actually knew who she wanted to request, but she had heard from other girls that he didn't take requests.
"So, who would you like to request, Princess Hiiro?" Tamaki asked, gesturing dramatically.
"Ur..... him!" she said, pointing right at Kyoya.
"Kyo-chan? But, Kyo-chan doesn't take requests..." Honey replied, surprised on who she had chosen.
Kyoya walked towards them, still holding his binder. He smiled, and bowed slightly.
"It is our job, to make our guests happy, so if Miss Dorimu has requested me, then I will accept the request," Kyoya said, in a business kind of way.
Kyoya lead Hiiro over to a table, he held the chair out for her, so she could sit. He pushed the chair forward slightly, then sat down on the chair opposite her.
"Could I get you something to drink?" Kyoya asked, politely.
"Some tea, if you have any.." Hiiro replied. She blushed, when she realised everyone else was drinking coffee.
"I'm sure that could be arranged," Kyoya replied. He turned in his seat, and called Haruhi over to the table. "Haruhi, fetch us some tea, for Miss Dorimu."
"Sure," Haruhi replied, with a smile. But, as she walked away, she muttered "Damn, rich people.."
"Hiiro.." Hiiro said, with a slight blush. "You can call me Hiiro," she added, when she realised that she might sound slightly impolite.
"My name is Kyoya Ootori, you can call me Kyoya," he replied, with the same smile as before. "What would you like to talk about?"
"Anything, as long as it is something that you would normally like to talk about," Hiiro replied. She had chosen Kyoya for a reason. When she looked inside the room, and saw him not engaging in conversation with anyone, unless it was required, she believed him to be the most genuine person in the room.
"Normally, I would be going through the club finances, taking notes of our guests tastes, and so on," Kyoya replied.
"I'd rather you do that, than pretend to be someone else," Hiiro said, honestly. "I'd rather you be you, than a mask."
"That is a intriguing notion, in it's own way," Kyoya replied, impressed by her honesty. "Hiiro, how would you like to take a walk around the room with me?"
"I'd like that," she replied.
The two walked around the room, both taking notes. Kyoya writing his usual stuff, while Hiiro jotted down certain traits from people she saw to give her inspiration for her short stories.
"It's nice to see Kyo-chan getting along with someone, isn't it, Takashi?" Honey asked, when he saw Hiiro and Kyoya enjoying their own private joke.
"Yes, Mitsukuni," Mori replied.
Chapter 4: Making Friends[]
Hiiro treasured the thought of her time in the host club, with Kyoya. For just one hour a day, she had someone that was completely honest with her. Something that she was lacking in school. On her way home, she wondered what snacks Kyoya might like, after all he did accept her request even though he didn't usually accept them.
As soon as she arrived at her home, she dropped her school bag on the entrance hall floor - which was picked up right away by the maid.
"Welcome home, Miss Dorimu!" the maid said, politely. "Your father left some new dresses for you, in your bedroom."
"Thank you, Yuki," Hiiro said, with a smile.
Hiiro was used to being doted on by her father like this, because he was hardly ever around, he believed that showering her in gifts would make her happy. In truth, it didn't. She just wanted to spend some time with her father.
She decided to go to the kitchen, to get a snack, not that their cook objected - well, he couldn't anyway. His orders from Mr Dorimu was to make sure Hiiro was happy with every meal. Snacks counted as meals.
Hiiro found some chocolate cookies on the counter, and took one from the plate. She wondered if Kyoya would like them to.
"Pierre," Hiiro said, trying to get the cook's attention. "Could you teach me how to make these?" She bit into the cookie, it was much better than she could ever make.
"Of course, Miss Dorimu," Pierre replied. Pierre was one of the finest chef in Paris, before he came to work for the Dorimu family.
♦♥♦
Hiiro was started to make progress with the cookies, well she was making less of a mess each time she tried to make them, when her father came home early. He had to attend a uncovering of a new piece of artwork, at a art gallery. She had to wear one of her new dresses, it was a floral pink and white dress.
It was the usual thing, he would go off to speak with his business associates, while Hiiro was left to mingle with the children of his associates. Hiiro thought that all the other pieces on display was quite beautiful.
Hiiro noticed a black haired girl looking at one of the more gothic looking paintings. She walked towards the girl, to look at the same painting. To Hiiro, it didn't look all that interesting. It wasn't to her tastes. The other girl, Reiko, glanced at Hiiro.
"Haven't I seen you in the host club?" Reiko asked.
"Yeah, I spend time with Kyoya," Hiiro replied. She smiled brightly. "But, I kinda feel guilty, because even though Honey invited me to eat cake with him, I haven't yet though.."
"You like Honey?" Reiko enquired. She looked at Hiiro, like she was sizing up a enemy. Reiko decided that in a fight, she would win, with one good curse.
"I think he'd be a good friend, but not in a relationship way," Hiiro replied, honestly.
Reiko's frostiness towards Hiiro was gone, when she realised that Hiiro wasn't a rival for Honey's heart. Reiko smiled, well, it was less than a smirk anyway.
"I'm Reiko Kanazuki, I'm in the Black Magic Club," Reiko said, introducing herself.
"I'm Hiiro Dorimu, I'm not in any clubs," Hiiro replied.
Hiiro and Reiko talked for a while, about who they liked in the host club, and how much they enjoyed being at Ouran Academy. When the Kanazuki family had to leave, Reiko and Hiiro promised that they would continue the conversation tomorrow.
♦♥♦
When Hiiro returned home, she stayed up late trying to make a good batch of the chocolate cookies. They weren't any good, and it took until 2am to get some cookies that was halfway eatable. Luckily, she had all week end to practise. She wanted them to be just perfect.
The following morning, when Hiiro woke up it was almost noon. Once she had showered and got dressed, she found a note addressed to her in the drawing room. It was from her father, telling her that a car would come for her at 3pm, to take her to a designer clothes store. Again, he was doting on her, rather than spend some time with her.
Chapter 5: Accidentally Meeting[]
The car arrived promptly at 3pm, and Hiiro was taken on her little shopping trip. She was given her father's credit card, and told she could by whatever she wanted. It was weird to her, that she could by whatever she wanted, but what she really wanted was the one thing she couldn't buy, to spend some time talking to her father.
Hiiro walked around the store, looking at some clothes. She looked at a pair of jeans, but decided not to buy them, because all the fun have been taken out of it for her. A couple of years ago, she would have loved a shopping trip. But now, she barely saw the point.
'Dad... I wish you would just talk to me...' Hiiro thought.
♦♥♦
"Fuyumi, why did you drag me along? I have so many other things to do.." Kyoya said, with slight annoyance. He had planned to go through the host club finances, then decide what the next host club theme should be, then make sure Tamaki thought that he had come with the idea.
"Because, you spend way too much time on the computer, if you got out more, maybe you wouldn't stay up so late," Fuyumi said, concerned for her brother's well being.
Fuyumi had decided to go shopping, and had dragged Kyoya along with her. Her husband was away with work again, and during one of her many visits to her family's home, she noticed that Kyoya was spending too much time in his room. To her, it seemed like a good idea.
When she had to try something on, he waited outside the changing rooms, playing the games on his phone. He didn't notice that Hiiro was looking at a dress near by, she hadn't noticed him either. Hiiro had seen a dress that was exactly what she wished her father would buy her, blue, simple and not a ballgown.
Hiiro decided to try the dress on, she looked for her size, and was happy when she found it. She walked towards the changing room, and was shocked to see Kyoya outside.
"Kyoya?" she asked, surprised.
Kyoya looked up, and saw Hiiro. "Hiiro... what are you doing here?"
"Shopping. I was going to ask you the same thing," Hiiro replied.
"Shopping with my sister," Kyoya said. He didn't want to mention that coming here wasn't his idea at all.
"Ok," Hiiro said, with a smile.
"That's it? You're not going to enquire more?" Kyoya asked, with a slight air of confusion.
"Nope. I told you that you didn't have to pretend to be anyone else around me. So, if you say that's the reason, then fair enough," Hiiro replied.
"That's a intriguing notion, in it's own way," Kyoya replied.
♦♥♦
When Hiiro returned home, with her new dress, she thought of what Kyoya had said to her. They had both talked a lot during the shopping trip, but there was one thing that stuck out in her mind.
'If you want me to be exactly who I am, I want you to do exactly the same thing.'
As soon as she walked the through the door, she dumped her hand bag and shopping bag on the floor, which was picked up by the maid.
"I'll put these in your room for you, Miss Dorimu," Yuki said, with a smile. In truth, she hated having to carry Hiiro's stuff up to her room, because she would just dump them on the floor.
"Thank you, Yuki," Hiiro said, like always.
Hiiro walked up the stairs, to go to her room. Really, she could have took her bag up herself, but she had got into the habit of dumping it on the entrance hall floor. She turned on her computer, so she could check her email. Her and Reiko had exchanged emails at the party yesterday, so they could continue their conversation about the host club. Well, mostly talk about Honey. Reiko wanted to plan her next curse to win Honey's heart, but wanted Hiiro to help.
When she checked, she had two emails, one from MoeMoeFanGirl (Renge) and one from BlackMagicGirl (Reiko.) Renge was just emailing her to tell her more about Haruhi, and ask if Hiiro was dating Kyoya or not. Of course, Hiiro replied with making it clear that her and Kyoya was just friends. Then, when she responded to Reiko's email, they talked about what kind of cake he would like and what would make the best bait for Reiko's curse.
Once Yuki had brought her shopping and handbag up, Hiiro took her new dress out of the shopping bag. She twirled across the room, holding it, before she put the dress in her wardrobe.
Chapter 6: My Secret[]
Monday after school, Hiiro walked into music room 3 holding a box of chocolate cookies. She had spent all day yesterday trying to make a edible batch of cookies, but she gave up. So, Pierre had made them for her.
"Afternoon, Hiiro," Kyoya said, when he noticed that Hiiro was there.
"Good afternoon, Kyoya!" Hiiro replied, with a smile. She held out her box of chocolate cookies. "Our cook made these cookies, and I thought you'd like to try them!"
Hiiro opened the box, to reveal the delicious chocolate cookies inside. Kyoya looked at them, they weren't really to his tastes, but she had taken the time to bring them all the way here, so he took one from the box. He took a bite of the crunchy chocolate cookies, sweet and crumbly. But, they weren't to his taste.
"Delicious," Kyoya lied. He had no intention in finishing the rest of the cookie in his hand.
"Really?" Hiiro enquired. She took one of the cookies out of the box.
"No, not really. I don't much care for sweets," Kyoya replied, honestly.
"At least you was honest with me," Hiiro replied, happily.
Instead, she shared her cookies with Honey, who ate most of them by himself. There was just about enough left for the rest of the host club.
♦♥♦
Last night, she had been thinking about what Kyoya said, about her being herself around him to. There was one thing that Hiiro was keeping from him, and everyone else at this school, that she liked to dance.
Hiiro used to dance a lot, at her old school. But, every time she had a performance, her dad wouldn't show up to see it. After each one, she became more and more disappointed, until she vowed never to let anyone see her dance again.
Hiiro had asked one of her teachers, if she could use one of the other music rooms, to practise. She didn't tell them exactly what she was practising, but hinted that it had something to do with music. Well, she wasn't really lying, just not being out right honest with him.
She changed out of her uniform, putting on a red vest, black sweatbands on her wrist, black leggings, and some slip on shoes. It took Hiiro a few minutes to decide what song to play, but in the end, she chose a slightly upbeat song.
Allowing herself to become the music made her feel so free, like all her worries was gone. She pirouetted, and leaped around the room. She wasn't doing any particular dance, just any dance moves that popped into her head.
Little did Hiiro know, that Tamaki had heard the music, and came looking for the source. He waited outside the room, just listening to the music at first. He slowly opened the door, and peeked inside. He was surprised to see Hiiro dancing, considering that she'd showed no sign that she had any interest in music or anything to do with dancing. The host club king actually thought she was pretty good.
"You're a good dancer," Tamaki said, sounding quite impressed.
Hiiro shrieked with shock and embarrassment, her hands clasped together in front of her mouth. She stared at Tamaki, wondering how long he'd been there.
Hiiro didn't stick around long, as soon as she'd gathered her things, she headed straight home. A quick dumping of her school bag on the entrance hall floor, she then ran upstairs to her room.
♦♥♦
The following day, Hiiro walked into the host club, she had decided that it was best to pretend that Tamaki hadn't seen her dance yesterday. She was the only guest at the moment, the rest of the hosts was either casually lazing around, figuring out the next club theme day or playing video games. Or in Honey's case, napping.
"What about gladiators!" Tamaki said, like it was a stroke of brilliance.
"No," Kyoya said flatly, as he typed away on his laptop. He'd already decided what the theme would be, and way trying to plant the idea in Tamaki's head, by looking at pictures of it on his laptop. He had selected something to do with the up coming performing arts festival.
"We could have a theme to do with dancing!" Tamaki said, miming dancing on his own. It was more a ballroom dance. "Maybe Hiiro will dance with you."
"I don't know how to dance!" Hiiro lied, but she said it quickly like a outburst lie.
Kyoya glanced over at her, his first thought was wondering how Tamaki knew she could dance, and secondly why she would react that way.
"I saw you yesterday, you was actually pretty good," Tamaki commented, not realising that he was making it worse.
Hiiro didn't respond, she acted like she hadn't heard him. She then collected her things, and silently left the club room. She hated that he had told everyone like that, and didn't want anyone to know that it was true.
Chapter 7: An Invitation From Lobelia Girl's Academy[]
Hiiro had avoided the host club for several days, because she feared her secret would be out, and she would be expected to perform in the performing arts festival. Stood in front of the school notice board, looking at the poster for it. Apparently some performers from Lobelia Girls Academy would be in the show. Reiko stopped beside her, and looked at the poster to.
"That looks dull," Reiko said, bluntly.
"Yeah, totally.." Hiiro agreed. She was lying, because she secretly did want to sign up for it, but was too afraid of anyone seeing her dance.
At that moment, Tamaki was walking across the courtyard with Kyoya, they was on their way to the host club. Their class had finished a little later than usual, so they had to take a short cut to the music room. The two boys stopped near Hiiro and Reiko.
"Signing up, Princess?" Tamaki asked, turning on the charm. It was a reflex with him, to try to charm all the girls he saw, because as he always put it, 'it was the job of the host club to make every girl happy.'
"No, we was just saying how boring it looks," Hiiro informed him. She clutched her notebook tighter to her chest.
"You would be wonderful in the show..." Tamaki said, with a matter of factly way.
"If she doesn't want to, you shouldn't pressure her," Kyoya told him, but was promptly ignored.
"Dancing majestically... performing even better than Lobelia!" Tamaki continued. He then removed his teddy bear pencil from his pocket, so he could fill in her name on the sign up sheet. "How about I sign you up.."
Tamaki only got as far as writing the 'H', because Hiiro clubbed him over the head with her notebook, her face filled with anger.
"I said 'NO'!" she shouted.
She then casually walked away with Reiko, talking about how she 'dodged a bullet' just then. Tamaki held his hand on his head, exactly where Hiiro had hit him, tears pouring from his eyes.
"She hit me..." he whimpered.
"Well, that's what you get for not listening," Kyoya replied, coldly. Kyoya then continued to walk across the courtyard, leaving Tamaki behind.
"But, she hit me.." Tamaki whimpered, again.
♦♥♦
Hiiro had thought about it all the following day, how she really did want to sign up for the show, she even felt guilty about hitting Tamaki, but was determined not to apologise, because he had brought it on himself.
She entered the music room, there wasn't any guests in here today either, just all of the hosts. Tamaki was in the corner sulking, because of how little everyone else cared that Hiiro had hit him. Honey bounded over to Hiiro, holding Usa-chan.
"Hiiro-chan! Is it true, what Tama-chan said?" He asked, in his usual energetic way.
Hiiro couldn't look at Honey, instead, she looked at the notebook she was holding. 'So, Tamaki has told everyone...' she thought. "Fine, I'll dance, as long as no one mentions it again.." she said, after realising Tamaki wouldn't shut up until she did. "And, I'm not entering the performing arts show!" she added, in a 'no negotiating' way.
Hiiro got changed in one of the side rooms, into her usual dancing clothes: a dark red vest, black leggings, black wristbands, some slip on shoes. The host club boys and Haruhi sat down on the sofas, to watch her dance. She had chosen the same song as before, because it was her favourite.
She closed her eyes, and pretended that there was no one else in the room. It was just her and the music. She then opened her eyes, and began to dance. Hiiro did the same dance routine she was doing, when Tamaki walked in and saw her, the other day.
While she was dancing, the host club's archenemies, the Zuka Club, walked into the room. Benio was quite impressed with Hiiro's dancing, she had made her decision who would play the fair maiden to her own noble gentleman, in the performance.
"Such a fair maiden..." Benio said, in a mysterious way.
Hiiro stopped dancing suddenly, she tried to run towards the door, but Benio grabbed her arm. Hiiro was then tilted backwards, while Benio stroked her cheek.
"She has maidenly eyes..." Benio said, as she looked into Hiiro's eyes.
"Her skin as pale as milk, and soft as silk..." Chizuru added, as she stroked Hiiro's hand against her own cheek.
"Another maiden ensnared by the host club!" Hinako said, outraged.
"The Zuka Club!" The twins and Tamaki said, with horror.
Hiiro blushed, as she looked up into Benio's eyes. She hadn't been treated this way, from a boy or a girl. She had no feelings for Benio, she was just happy to receive such attention.
"Cheeks flushed with pink, like the rose has carefully placed petals upon them.." Benio whispered into her ear. Benio then stood up straight, holding Hiiro close to her side. "You, sweet maiden, would be perfect in our performance..." she added, not caring that the host club was watching.
"She would!! She would make the best Lolabelle ever!" Hinako said, enthusiastically.
"I don't think so!" Hiiro said, squirming, to free herself from Benio's grasp.
Chapter 8: Father's Approval[]
Hiiro walked over to Kyoya, because she valued his opinion. He was the only person she could really talk to in this school, even though Reiko and Renge was her friends, they two girls didn't really understand her. After all, she had asked Kyoya not to pretend to be someone else, and at the moment, she wasn't living up to her side of the deal.
"Kyoya, do you think I should?" she asked, not really knowing what she wanted to do.
"It is up to you, Hiiro, whatever makes you happy," he replied.
He did how ever think, that after seeing her dance, that maybe a lead in a performance with the Zuka Club, would do her good in the long run, should she pursue a dancing career. But, he knew Hiiro wasn't the type to want to do what was expected of her.
Just hearing that, didn't help her. She needed time to think, and this was all so sudden. She didn't know if she was ready to dance in a actual show yet, because she could hardly dance in front of her friends. Even seeing her own reflection in a mirror was difficult, whilst dancing.
"I need time to think.." Hiiro decided. She glanced over her shoulder, at Benio, Chizuru and Hinaku.
"We will be back tomorrow, for your decision, maiden," Benio said, as she turned away from the group. She glanced over her shoulder, and said, "Adieu" in a mysterious way, whilst slightly waving her hand.
The three Lobelia girls twirled out of the music room, Hinako and Chizuru laughing playfully. Hiiro turned to look at the hosts.
"I don't know what I should do," Hiiro confessed, outloud.
This was a good opportunity for her, because even though she didn't dance right now, if she decided to in the future as a career, performing with the prestigious Lobelia Girl's Academy would look good. If she didn't do it, then she would kick herself later. But, she was still afraid of dancing in front of people.
"We shall help you, so you feel comfortable dancing in front of us," Tamaki decided, not caring that Hiiro hadn't made her mind up yet. "Mori-sempai, go put the sign on the door, telling customers that we are closed today." Mori then dashed out of the room, to put the sign on the door. "Hikaru, Kaoru, you work on the costumes."
"Yes boss!" Hikaru and Kaoru said, in unison.
Who knows where they got them from, but they both started measuring Hiiro with tape measures, to get her size right.
"Kyoya, you will dance with Hiiro," Tamaki continued. "Haruhi.."
"Not going to happen," Haruhi said, flatly. "As long as I don't have to put up with the Zuka Club, I don't care. Now, I'm going to the supermarket, there's a sale on." With that, Haruhi walked out of the club room.
"What can I do, Tama-chan?" Honey asked, in his usual cute way.
"Honey, you'll be the audience!" Tamaki replied, dramatically. "I, shall play the piano, for you both to dance to.."
"I haven't even made up my mind, and you're already planning practices?!" Hiiro yelled at him. Tamaki was seriously getting on her last nerve.
Hiiro stormed out the room, going into the side room, to go get changed back into her uniform. She didn't stick around, to hang out with Kyoya, during club activities. Hiiro returned home, dumping her bag on the entrance hall floor, like always.
"Welcome home, Miss Dorimu," Yuki said, at the sight of Hiiro. She secretly hated Hiiro more and more each day, because of Hiiro's laziness.
Hiiro ignored her, and walked towards the stairs, she was going to spend the evening in her room, deciding whether performing with the Zuka Club would be right or not. She changed out of her uniform, and put on the first outfit she found: jeans, black waist coat with a white top underneath. She put them on with a pair of black shoes.
Hiiro lay down on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. She wanted to, but she was afraid. At that moment, the maid Yuki walked into the room, with Hiiro's school bag.
"Miss Dorimu, you've been invited to the Ootori residence, personal invitation from Master Kyoya Ootori. Mr Dorimu would like to speak to you in his study," Yuki said. She didn't wait for a reply, because Mr Dorimu had told her to do that.
♦♥♦
Mr Dorimu sat in his study, talking on the phone to Kyoya. He was quite impressed, that Hiiro was socialising with the youngest Ootori son.
"Lobelia, you say? Why yes, that would provide a excellent opportunity for her," Mr Dorimu agreed.
Hiiro walked to her father's study, wondering what he wanted. Surely he wouldn't object, if Kyoya had invited her to his home, it's not like she asked him to, because she didn't. She gently knocked on the door.
"Enter Hiiro," Mr Dorimu called to her. He then said, "We shall discuss this further, another time," to Kyoya, then hung up.
Hiiro opened the door, and walked into his study. It hadn't changed a bit, from the last time she came in here a couple of years ago. It had Chinese decor, seemed strange to her, considering they lived in Japan.
"You wanted to see me, Father?" Hiiro said, politely.
"Yes, yes. Sit down," he said, firmly. He didn't want to show his daughter just how proud of her he was.
Hiiro sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk. She looked at her father, it seemed like it had been a long time since he actually talked to her directly. Usually it was one of his assistants, or he was talking about her at a party, while she was stood next to him.
"It has come to my attention, that you have been invited to perform with some girls from Lobelia, in the performing arts festival," he said, in a matter of fact kind of way.
"Yes, father," she replied, thinking that she was going to be punished.
"You have also been invited to the Ootori household for dinner, and to spend the night," Mr Dorimu continued, like she hadn't spoken.
It was news to her, that she would be dining at Kyoya's house, let alone spending the night. "Yes, Father," she said, to acknowledge that he'd spoken.
"Good, good. Now, you wouldn't want to keep Master Ootori waiting, now would you?" Mr Dorimu replied, with a almost happy tone.
Hiiro walked out of the study, slightly confused. She wasn't completely sure, but it seemed like her father was actually happy about what he'd found out. Like he actually approved.
Mr Dorimu knitted his fingers together, and turned in his chair. "My daughter, dining with the Ootori family," he said, proudly.
Chapter 9: Decision Time[]
A car was sent, to take Hiiro to Kyoya's home. It turned out that Kyoya's father and brothers was away working, and Kyoya had invited her over, so he could help her with her problem dancing. The maids had brought some food into Kyoya's room, and left it on the coffee table, so Kyoya and Hiiro could eat when ever they wanted. They had pushed most of the furniture against the wall, to make more space.
"Why are you helping me?" Hiiro asked, as he slipped a blindfold in front of her eyes.
"Because, I know what it's like to constantly try to make a parent happy," Kyoya replied, as he tied a not in the blindfold, to keep it in place. "What I am going to do, is put on some music, and you are going to dance. I may or may not leave the room."
"Um... ok..." Hiiro said, nervously.
Kyoya walked over to the stereo, and turned on the music, it was the same one she played earlier. He walked towards the door, opened it, waited for a second, then closed it again. He hadn't actually left the room, but he wanted Hiiro to think he did.
Hiiro waited, she listened to the music for a few seconds, before she started twirling on the spot. Kyoya removed a video camera from one of the dresser draws, and started to record her dancing. As she got more into the music, she started pirouetting, and letting the music completely take over her.
When the song stopped, as agreed, she removed the blindfold. She was surprised when she saw Kyoya stood near the dresser, he had hidden the camera behind his back.
At first, she was worried about Kyoya seeing her, but after a couple of hours, she got over it. The two of them practised all night, by the time the sun started to rise, Hiiro was comfortable doing ballroom dances with Kyoya. But, dancing in front of anyone else sort of would be a problem.
♦♥♦
Hiiro was tired all morning, she nearly fell asleep during class. All she could think about was what she was going to say, when she met up with the Zuka Club girls. She stared at her textbook, the words seemed to swirl around, because she couldn't concentrate. Hiiro tapped her pencil on her notebook.
'What should I do? Should I perform with them? Maybe if I did this, it would be a good thing... but what if I make a fool of myself.. I'll just totally die..' She shook her head, to try to rid herself of those thoughts. 'Stop worrying! This will probably go great, no one has told you that you are a suckish dancer.. but still..'
Her worrying continued for the rest of the lesson, it was the only thing keeping her awake. After class, Hiiro walked through the school corridors, trying to decide what she was going to do. The brunette was too lost in her thoughts, to realise that Renge was calling her. Renge had been following her for ten minutes.
"Hiiro!" Renge called after Hiiro. She was just about to give up.
"Yes?" Hiiro replied, when she realised that Renge was calling her.
"I've been calling for ages," Renge replied, relieved that she didn't have to return to the club room without Hiiro.
"You have? I thought you was a random thought in my head," Hiiro said, awkwardly. "What did you want?"
"The guys want to speak to you in the club room," Renge told her. She grabbed hold of Hiiro's arm. "Wouldn't want to keep them waiting now, do we?"
Renge dragged Hiiro all the way to the club room, ignoring Hiiro's protests. When the doors opened, Hiiro saw that there was some dummies around, with different costumes. All of the host club member was wearing a costume, Honey had even dressed up Usa-chan. Hiiro glanced from one person to the next, surprised by each of their costumes. Tamaki in a suit like a pianist, Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru dressed fancy with opera binoculars, Kyoya dressed like a renaissance prince, Honey was dressed like a renaissance boy, Usa-chan wearing a matching outfit to Honey. Mori was dressed normally, but was acting as a prop mover.
"And, I'm the director and script writer! I wrote the perfect script, for you to read from," Renge added, she held out her script. Hiiro didn't notice Renge holding it before, which she wasn't.
"What's all this?" Hiiro asked. She was almost speechless, that they would all go to such trouble.
"For you, Princess, we are going to help you, feel more comfortable dancing around us," Tamaki said, with a smile.
"Then when you perform, Hiiro-chan, we'll be sat in the front row, so you can look at us, and not be scared," Honey said, reassuringly.
"That is, of course, if you chose to perform in the show," Kyoya added.
Hiiro smiled, because she could see how much effort they had put into all this. In away, they had given her a reason to dance, because they would make sure they was there to see her.
♦♥♦
The boys, Haruhi and Renge still had a few things to prepare, so Hiiro decided to go for a walk. She knew that the Zuka Club girls would be coming for her decision soon, so she figured that she should stay in one place to help them find her. So, she waited in the courtyard. It didn't take long for Benio, Chizuru and Hinako to find her.
"Have you made your decision, Maiden?" Benio asked, at the sight of Hiiro. Chizuru and Hinaku was stood either side of her.
"I have, and I've decided that I want to perform in your show," Hiiro replied, with a smile.
Chapter 10: The Host Club's Secret[]
'Haruhi Fujioka is...'
Hiiro couldn't bring herself to even think what she had saw, she completely didn't see all the signs. But, now she knew, she could see that all the signs was there, for all to see.
It all began, on a Friday afternoon. Tamaki was discussing potential costumes that Hiiro could wear, for their pretend play. But, none of them seemed right. Both Hikaru and Kaoru had brought some outfits, designed by their mother, but they just wasn't right.
"I'm not sure..." Hiiro said, after looking at the last outfit. The dress was long, but had lace, made from satin.
"You could come to my house tomorrow, I'm sure my dad can help you pick something," Haruhi said, as she looked at the last satin creation.
"Um..." Hiiro muttered, because she wondered why Haruhi would suddenly invite her like this.
"It wouldn't be a bother, but I do need to go to the supermarket, so you could come with me," Haruhi continued.
Hiiro had never stepped foot inside a supermarket before, and was quite excited about the idea. She agreed to go, even though she did feel awkward about going to a boy's house. She was under the impression that Haruhi was a boy.
♦♥♦
Hiiro woke up early the following morning, because she was really excited at the idea of going to a commoner's supermarket. She was ready and dressed, by the time the car showed up at 10am sharp. When she climbed into the back of the car, she noticed that it was a different driver than usual, Rocco, he smiled at her.
During the car journey, Hiiro looked out the window, not really thinking about anything in general. Her thoughts eventually turned to how Haruhi had invited her over, and if there was a hidden meaning in it. It was Haruhi that invited her over after all. Haruhi wasn't known to do that, in fact she was quite annoyed when ever the host club decided to visit her home unannounced.
Rocco stopped the car outside an apartment building, Hiiro looked up at it with awe. She hadn't seen anything like this, since she lived in England when she was 6 years old. Rocco got out of the car, and opened the door for her.
"Call me when you need picking up, Miss Dorimu," Rocco said, bowing his head slightly as a show of respect.
"Thank you, Rocco," Hiiro said, with a smile.
Hiiro removed a piece of paper from her pocket, with Haruhi's address on it. She wasn't sure which house was Haruhi's, and how so many houses could be in one building. She walked towards the stairs, not sure whether she should check the 'houses' on the bottom floor or the top.
"Are you lost?" The person's voice sounded manish, but flamboyant at the same time.
"Yes, I'm looking for Haruhi Fujioka's home," Hiiro said, as she turned around.
Hiiro was quite shocked to see the person that spoke to her, he was a man, but he had long hair, make up and was wearing a dress. She had come face to face with a cross dresser.
"Oh, so you're Haruhi's guest!" the man said, cheerfully. "I'm Haruhi's father."
"Nice to meet you, Mr Fujioka," Hiiro said, with a smile.
"No need to be so formal, call me Ranka," Ranka said, then finishing up with a flamboyant giggle.
Ranka lead Hiiro up the stairs to their apartment. When he opened the door, Hiiro was shocked by how small it was. The whole apartment would probably fit quite nicely in Hiiro's bedroom. She didn't say anything though, because she didn't want to be rude.
"Why don't you sit down, Haruhi will be home soon," Ranka called, as he started making some tea in the kitchenette. "There was probably a sale at the supermarket."
Hiiro nodded her head, she was a little disappointed that she didn't get to go to the supermarket to, because she was so looking forward to it. She walked into the living room area, she was surprised to see that there wasn't any chairs.
Hiiro sat down on the floor, at the low table, looking around the room. She glanced around the room, the thing that caught her eye the most, was a shrine, probably to Haruhi's mother. It often made Hiiro said, when Haruhi would talk about her mother, because even though Hiiro's mother was alive and living in England, it would make her sad, if she passed away.
"Welcome back, Haruhi!" Hiiro heard Ranka say.
"Hi, Dad, I got lots of stuff at the supermarket," Haruhi replied.
"That's great! Your friend is here," Ranka told her.
Haruhi walked into the living room with a smile, making Hiiro's jaw drop. Haruhi was wearing a white tshirt, with a pink halter neck top over it, denim capri pants, and sandals. She had two pink hair clips in her hair.
'Haruhi Fujioka is... a girl,' Hiiro thought, with a look of total shock on her face.
Chapter 11: Rehearsal Time[]
To Hiiro, nothing made sense. Haruhi was a girl, yet she attended Ouran as a boy. She pondered over it for the rest of the weekend, trying to make sense of it, but she couldn't. Monday, she decided not to mention it. Saturday, Haruhi had told Hiiro, that the entire host club knew, but Hiiro couldn't get her head around the idea.
Hiiro was distracted all the way through her rehearsal time, with Kyoya. Haruhi's father Ranka had suggested a long flowy cream coloured dress, for her to wear during rehearsals, because that would compliment her complexion most. Naturally, Hikaru and Koaru had taken the opportunity to syle her hair, with a girly updo, with a golden headband. She did look very beautiful.
The rehearsal went on every day, for nearly three weeks, using a script that Renge had claimed to have written, about a man and a woman, that was never allowed to speak to each other, because their parents was setting them up in a arranged marriage. It was love at first sight between the two, even though they hand never spoken. Secretly, Renge had gotten a famous script writer to writ it for her.
They had rented out the auditorium, for the final rehearsal, the stage had been decorated as if it was an outdoor garden, with rose bushes, and hedges. Hiiro did wonder how they had managed to put them all in there, but she realised that they could be put in plant pots.
"Ready?" Renge asked.
Renge was sat in a director's chair, while the other host club members were sitting in the audience, with all the girls that came to the host club as guests. The girls had heard about it accidentally, but they all wanted to show their support for Hiiro. Some of the girls that liked Kyoya, had noticed how happy he was around Hiiro, and secretly hoped that they would become a couple.
They had gotten to the part, where Hiiro - as the leading lady Giselle, had taken a stroll in the gardens, unaware that Kyoya - as the leading man Christophe, was also walking through the gardens. Hiiro gasped at the sight of Kyoya, then tried to turn away, knowing that she was not supposed to see him with out supervision. Kyoya looked mildly surprised, as he was supposed to, because it was how Christophe was supposed to act. He had gotten quite into character.
"It is good to meet you at last, Miss Giselle," Kyoya said, with a slight bow. He smiled slightly, whilst looking her in the eyes.
"It is good to meet you too, Mr Christophe," Hiiro replied, with a curtsy. She smiled, and looked at him like she really was in love with him.
In that moment, when their eyes met, the seeds of love had been planted. They both realised, that it was possible, that the other felt the same. Time will tell, if they acted on it. In that one moment, they were not Giselle and Christophe, they was Hiiro and Kyoya.
♦♥♦
With the host club's help, Hiiro was finally ready to begin rehearsals with The Zuka Club. Every day after school, a car would take her from Ouran Academy to St. Lobelia Academy, so she could rehearse with them. The rehearsals was going great, but every time Benio flirted with her, Hiiro couldn't help thinking about Kyoya. There was a connection, in that moment, she just knew it.
Neither Kyoya or Hiiro had mentioned it, but the girls in Hiiro's class, and the ones that visited the host club did. Most of Kyoya's admirers had become quite obsessed with them as a couple, even though they weren't dating.
In the Lobelia rehearsal room, practise had begun. It wasn't Hiiro's scene at the moment, Hinako and Chizuru was going through their lines, for the scene where they talked about their plans to help Marco (Benio) and Lolabelle (Hiiro) escape the castle, so they could elope.
Hiiro sat near the window, looking up at the clear ble skies. Today, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. She had a lot on her mind lately, because her father was encouraging her to spend more time dancing, he had even hired a dance instructor to help her. It did cut into her time with Kyoya though, it was almost nonexistent.
"A maiden is often most radiant, when she is in love," Benio said, thoughtfully.
As Benio sat down next to her, Hiiro glanced over at her curiously. "Really?" she asked.
"Like a beautiful flower, love is like the sun that helps them bloom," Benio continued, as if Hiiro had never spoken. "You, Hiiro, are a blooming flower."
Hiiro smiled at her, because it confirmed why she felt so different around Kyoya. He was there for her when seh needed him, and helped her face her biggest fear. She was able to perform in front of an audience, even though it would be small compared to how it would be on opening night.
Benio smiled, and left Hiiro alone, while she had to join in the scene with Hinako and Chizuru. Hiiro looked up at the sky again.
'Are you my sunshine, Kyoya?' she thought, the smile still spread across her lips. 'Am I also yours?'
Chapter 12: Realisation of Reciprocated Love[]
After weeks if rehearsals, it was finally time for the main performance. Hiiro paced back stage, in her black dress, she was extremely nervous. Performing in front of friends and guests of the host club was one thing, but now she would be performing in front of the whole school and St. Lobelia Academy. What worried her most, was that someone had told her that there would be a kiss scene, even though Hiiro and Benio hadn't rehearsed one. She thought it would be best not to think about it.
"Nervous, Hiiro?" Benio asked, while signing autographs for some of the more hardcore Benibara fans.
"Yeah, really nervous," Hiiro confessed.
Hiiro glanced over her shoulder at Benio, this pose was one that Benio had come to like most, but only when Hiiro did it, especially with her sweet maidenly coy smile. However, Benio knew that Hiiro's heart belonged to anohter, and it would take more than innocent flirting to steal it away. Maybe the kiss scene, with the most romantic part of the performance, might tempt Hiiro to see Benio as more than just a friend.
"There is nothing to be nervous about, just pretend that the moment on the stage is for real, and tonight, you are not Hiiro, you are Lolabelle!" Benio replied, with a dramatic gesture.
Hiiro smiled, because she thought it was easy for Benio to say, when Benio had been performing in front of a audience since shortly after she first began attending Lobelia, for Hiiro this was a entirely new concept.
♦♥♦
The curtains went up, on a scene that was of Benio singing about how beautiful and maidenly Lolabelle was, describing her as the most beautiful maiden in all the land. With other performers, including Chizuru and Hinako singing back up. When it was Hiiro's cue to walk on stage, to begin her first dance with Marco (Benio), she looked out to the audience nervously.
In the front row was Honey holding Usa-chan, Mori, Hikaru and Kaoru, Tamaki, Haruhi, Kyoya, Reiko and Renge, she smiled at the sight of them. There was a round of "You can do it, Hiiro-chan!" from Honey, "You look great, Hiiro!" from Renge, and a "Put those girls to shame with your talent!" from Tamaki.
Just that, was enough to give Hiiro the confidence, to continue on with the show. With Benio's advice in mind, she put her heart into her performance, it helped that she pretended Benio was Kyoya. In the final scene, were Marco was dying in Lolabelle's arms, as the couple declared their never ending loved for one another, there wasn't a single dry eye in the audience. Even Kyoya shed a tear, but he covered it, by placing his hand on his cheek. Benio brushed her hand against Hiiro's cheek, then side glanced to the audience, before continuing with her lines.
"Oh, Lolabelle, even after my heart's last beat, my love for you will go on, as eternal and beautiful as the shining sun..." Benio said. She took Hiiro's hand, placed it on her chest.
Hiiro knew, this must be it, the part were the kiss should happen, if there was one. They had cut at this part, then skipped to the part were Marco took his last breath.
"All I wish from you, my love, is one kiss..." Benio continued. She looked right up into Hiiro's eyes. She looked right up into Hiiro's eyes.
At that moment, Hiiro knew that she couldn't kiss Benio. After all, Benio was right, love was like a delicate cherry blossom, along with a maiden's first kiss. Hiiro couldn't give that to Benio, because it would after all mean nothing. She leaned closer to Benio.
"Marco... I will never forget our love, even though I must move on with my life, I will always truly love you," Hiiro said, full of emotion.
Benio then acted out Marco passing away, then the curtains fell. The play was over, Hiiro had accomplished the hardest part of the play, for her, that was dancing in front of not one, but two schools.
♦♥♦
The following day, Hiiro walked through the courtyard, happily. She was wearing the black shoes that she wore during the performance last night, because they reminded her of what she could accomplish, if she put her mind to it. Everyone was talking about the play, and how well Benio and Hiiro worked well together. Kyoya was sat on a bench, working on the host club's budget, it was a nice day after all, so best to be outside.
"Hi Kyoya!" Hiiro called to him, as she walked towards the bench.
Kyoya glanced over at her, he had grown to care for her deeply - maybe even love her, and a part of him knew that he felt the same for him. He knew he couldn't act on it now, but it was nice to see her completely happy.
"It is good to finally meet you, Miss Dorimu," Kyoya replied.
He was of course talking about how she was finally herself, and not pretending to be someone she's not, by hiding away her talents.
"The pleasure is all mine, Mr Ootori," Hiiro said, with a slight curtsy.
Hiiro did think, that he was saying the set of lines from Renge's first script draft, but with the names changed. Maybe, in time, she will realise what he really meant. For now, their relationship could stay at friendship. Hiiro smiled at him, which he returned, then left the courtyard, to meet up with Reiko and Renge. She had to ask them something, to see if they thought Kyoya might feel the same for her.