Episode 12

Operation Jin is Pretty!

How does it feel to talk to a person who doesn't realize they're beautiful? Who doesn't realize that they are the highlight of someone's day?

How does it feel to learn that the person you aspire to be doesn't believe they are worthy enough to be a proper role model? Or flat out refuses to understand how important and inspiring they are?

How does it feel to love a person who doesn't love herself?

How does it feel?

It feels like failure.

...

Haruhi had a feeling this was going to be a rough day from the moment she woke up. There was just this sort of… groggy feeling to the morning. She could tell that Jin could feel it too by the way her sister yawned throughout breakfast and when they decided to take the train instead of biking to school.

Yeah… this was going to be a long day.

Class was boring, even more so than usual. Haruhi could feel her brain struggling to make the connections between the new work and what she learned last week, which made her tired, which made it even more difficult to think. Even the twins seemed to notice something was off. They kept poking Haruhi in the side with their pencils to help keep her eyes open, and for once she didn't get mad at them for it.

What she couldn't figure out was why she was so exhausted. She didn't do anything different with her sleep schedule, so it couldn't be that. Maybe it was just the day letting her know that she should've stayed home instead of coming to school.

Not like that would ever happen, but still.

And then there was Jin, who was clearly worried about her little sister. Throughout lunch Jin would be checking Haruhi's temperature and how she was feeling, debating whether or not she should send her home.

Haruhi refused to leave. She had a quiz today.

Her exhaustion didn't get any better when she arrived at the host club, but ten minutes into the activities of the day she finally understood.

It was like her body knew something like this was coming and decided to save up her energy. Perhaps that was it. Since the host club takes up so much mental and physical activity, normally for "outside reasons", her body was now saving up all its energy for after school fiascos.

And this certainly qualified.

The twins were the ones who started the whole thing, which was actually not a big surprise if you think about it. The other hosts knew to prepare for something big when the two redheads stood up and proceeded to the center of the room.

"Can we have everyone's attention?"

Slowly the conversations around the room quieted down.

"We have an important announcement to make for the ladies of the host club."

"Our mother is currently designing a new line of outfits for high school girls and she's in need of some models for adjustments and photoshoots."

"And she would like to invite all of the host club girls for try outs for these positions!"

There was a large, unanimous squeal that echoed around the music room, followed by a flurry of yellow dresses as each and every girl flocked to Hikaru and Kaoru for more information. The other hosts took this time to gather together and discuss the new turn of events.

"Wow, that was incredibly generous of her."

"Really?" Haruhi looked over at the twins being buried with questions, "Why is it generous? It sounds more like cheap labor to me."

"It is, but Mrs. Hitachiin also appears to have some ulterior motives. Using the daughters of wealthy business owners and prominent families will give her more ties into corporations that she didn't have before and will strengthen others. Also, it's good PR. Not using actual models makes her fashion line more inclusive to different body types. And, as a final note, receiving comments by her customers first hand might help with future design ideas."

Haruhi looked ready to pack up and leave by the time Kyoya finished, "So, in short, an impressive business move."

These goddamn rich people.

Jin tilted her head and smiled softly, "I think it's sweet. Mrs. Hitachiin's offer probably just gave these girls a big confidence boost. Sure, it'll help her business out a lot, but it'll give these girls something to smile about for years."

Honey bounded up to the brunette and tugged on her skirt, "Jin-chan, are you going to try out? I'm sure you'd get a position!"

Jin looked at the small boy strangely before smiling and patting his head, "Why would I do that? Nah, I'm far too busy to do any silly little try out. But thanks for the compliment, Honey-senpai." Before her hand even retracted from his blond head, two arms wrap around her torso and two familiar voices whispered in her ear.

"Of course it would be silly for you to try out, Jin-senpai."

"Considering we've already put you on the roster."

If they were expecting Jin to blush slightly and swat at their hands and call them idiots, they'd be wrong.

"WHAT?!" The brunette spun around and grabbed the twins by their jackets, "Why would you do that!? Are you joking!? Tell me you're joking!" The redheads stared at their senpai in confusion and nervously held up their hands.

"It was a joke! We didn't sign you up, promise!"

"But we do want you to try-out! You'd be perfect!"

Jin stopped moving and stared at the twins, like someone had pressed the 'pause' button on her remote.

"Why would I be perfect for it?"

The twins looked at each other, then at the other girls in the room before looking back at Jin, "Well, we're pretty sure everyone here would agree that you're one of the prettiest girl in this room." The girl in question blinked and glanced around the rest of the room. The other guests were nodding their heads, some rapidly while others a little slower, giving the statement quite a bit of thought.

She looked back at the twins and smiled a little. Then bigger. Until finally she started snickering. Like she was more amused by a funny comment than actually humored by it. She released the boys and straightened out their jackets.

"Okay, I get it now! You guys are pretty funny, you know?"

She seemed to be oblivious to the fact that everyone else in the room was looking around with either concern or confusion. One very confused girl in the back corner of the room let out a few weak laughs but stopped quickly.

However, Jin Fujioka is never out of the loop for long. She stopped her light laughter as her gaze swept around the room. She ended up with her gaze back on the twins.

"You're not kidding?"

The twins shook their heads.

"Then let me laugh harder. HAHAHAHA!" The tall brunette continued to laugh -actually laughing this time- as she walked off towards the kitchen, holding her stomach with her left arm. The entire congregation watched in silence until the doors boomed shut.

Then everyone began talking at once.

"What was she laughing at?"

"Does that mean she doesn't want to model?"

"Do you think it was an inside joke?"

"Haruhi?"

The short Fujioka was staring at the kitchen doors solemnly, "Yeah, Senpai?"

"What just happened?"

Haruhi look at the floor and scuffed it with her shoe, "Néchan doesn't think she's pretty. At all. And I'm sorry you guys, but you're not going to get very far with her on this topic." She turned around and went back to her guests, "If you want my advice, I'd just let it go."

*The Next Day*

Of course they weren't just going to let it go. Haruhi should've suspected something when they sent Jin out on a shopping run for coffee. They never send their hosts (or waitress) out to shop if they can help it. Usually, they do their shopping on Monday and send Haruhi with her sister.

Figures the'd want to talk about it immediately.

"Alright men, in order to properly begin our planning, we have to know all the variables. Haruhi!"

The brunette gave her Senpai her best 'you've got to be kidding me' look, "What?"

"Tell us everything you know about Jin's condition!"

This was quickly followed by a roll of the eyes, "There is no condition, Senpai. Néchan just doesn't think she's pretty!"

"But that can't be all! What caused this? How long has it been going on? We have to know everything if we're going to help her! Or have you already forgotten the job of a high school host?"

Haruhi's shoulders slumped, "...To make every girl happy. I know, Senpai. I just…fine, then. Néchan is very self conscious. It started around when she was 8, though she's had a shy side forever. But it's not just in her looks, she's never been very accepting of compliments of any kind. That started earlier, when she was about 4 and just started taking piano lessons." Haruhi's expression darkened, "She had a horrible teacher."

There were a few seconds of silence before she continued, "Anyways, Néchan's been like this for years. It's like everyone wants to be like her but herself. She doesn't think she's very talented with, well, anything."

Honey gasped, sounding like someone just insulted his grandmother, "But Jin-chan is super talented! She's even great at-" Honey cut himself short, "Um, I mean, didn't she teach herself all those languages?"

The other hosts gave their shortest member similar looks.

"Honey-senpai?"

"What else were you about to say?"

"Nothing, I just started the sentence wrong. Didn't think it through."

Haruhi watched her senpai for another two seconds before continuing, "To answer your question, yes, she did teach herself most of the languages she knows. She only took classes for English and French and taught herself German, Spanish, Italian, and is now working on Swedish. She even taught herself higher maths so that she's a year beyond where her classmates are and learned piano and guitar without much instruction. Kagome-sensei only became her teacher after she learned the basics and a few songs by herself."

The boys took it all in, "And… she doesn't think she's talented?"

"Oh, did I say that? Sorry, I meant she doesn't think she's very talented. Néchan knows that not many people can do what she does, but she doesn't think very much of it. In fact…" her lips twitched in the slight semblance of a smile, "while most people think she's an amazing person, she likes to say that I'm the most perfect person in the world. Actually, the last time someone tried to convince her that she was better than me, she laughed."

Tamaki sighed, "Well then, this just became far more complicated. We've dealt with girls who don't recognize their beauty but-"

"Hey guys! I've got the stuff!" The hosts part ways, Haruhi running off to help her sister unpack the coffee and distract her from the frowns the boys were sporting. The twins were discussing something with their heads bent down near each other's, Honey was playing with Usa-chan while Mori looked on, Tamaki had migrated to his hosting station, clearly thinking hard, and Kyoya found himself by the windows.

He didn't recall making the conscious decision to walk over here, but decided to admire the view for a while. As he did so, a memory resurfaced from last week, the day after Shido finished his after school lessons with Tamaki.

*/Flashback\*

Kyoya was walking down the hallway after the school day had ended. There was still a faint gleam of the sunset shining through the large windows, proof for everyone that summer was on it's way back. The black haired male continued down the corridor, running his after school 'To-Do' list through his head one last time. He had a feeling he was forgetting something.

Although, there really wasn't much for him to do. The janitors still had to come through, and they'd clean up anything that was left behind. All the extra cake slices had been put away-

Kyoya stopped and smacked his hand against his forehead. Of course that's what I forgot. He spun on his heel and marched back to the music room. Of all the things to forget, why did it have to be locking the cake cabinets? Sure, it might not be a big deal for most people, but with Honey-senpai in the club if Kyoya didn't want any extra pieces of inventory "disappearing" he had to lock the storage. And he had the only key.

Well, it isn't as if anyone else could be trusted with it. Or like any of them would remember to lock the door every night.

A sigh escaped him. This was cutting into his homework time. And no doubt his driver was waiting in the parking lot, wondering where he was. Hopefully his security guards wouldn't believe he'd been kidnapped or there would be a few pairs of ruined doors his family would have to repay the school for.

A louder sigh passed his lips as Kyoya turned the final corner. The music room's doors were at the very end of the hallway, staring him in the face as he got closer. There were no other sounds besides his shoes tapping against the tile floor, his clothes shifting against each other, and…

He stopped walking.

A piano. Someone was playing a piano nearby, and there was only one that he knew of.

Oddly enough, it didn't sound like Tamaki's usual song. There was one song he played almost every time he sat at a piano, but this one was different. And to top it all off, Kyoya instantly recognized it.

It was an American Disney song.

How'd he know that? Because Fuyumi had always enjoyed American culture when she lived at the Ootori mansion and liked to play Disney songs all the time. And while Kyoya would never admit it, now that she was living far away he had a few of her favorite songs on his iPod in case he ever missed her.

Again, not like he'd ever admit that.

But this song was very familiar. It was 'I can go the distance' from the extremely inaccurate Hercules movie. But Fuyumi had loved the musical numbers from it, so Kyoya instantly recognized it anyways.

The piano version he was hearing at the moment was definitely a variation, but it was lovely all the same. The melody and harmony were perfect. Kyoya felt his feet move forward towards the doors again. There was a strange tugging in his chest, the same one he felt the very first time he had heard Tamaki play at his house. The notes held so much emotion, he couldn't help himself.

He quietly pushed open the door and peeked in.

The room was at half light, and Kyoya could see only the backs of two heads, both sitting at the piano. One was on the bench, the other was sitting on a chair that had been pulled over from a nearby table.

It took Kyoya perhaps ten seconds to realize that it was Jin who was playing the piano like that, with Haruhi at her side and enjoying the song.

He knew that he couldn't let the girls catch him. This sort of information would be useful in the future after he had some time to think it over, but at the same time he didn't want to leave while Jin was still playing. Sure, with a teacher like Kagome-sensei, Kyoya had a feeling that she'd be a remarkable player, but he hadn't realized how remarkable.

The notes were flying all over the place, pulling the original song apart and pushing it back together at the same time. Kyoya felt in awe of the piece and of the talent that Jin must possess to play it correctly. But to say the boy felt a little conflicted was an understatement.

Jin was far more talented and interesting and intelligent than she let on, and that was saying something. So why didn't she use it? Why not pursue music? Her father didn't seem to be one to hold his daughters back from where they wanted to go, so how come she didn't take music classes?

Kyoya continued to watch for a minute, his mind racing with the possibilities of this information. Could he have Jin play for the guests? That might cut into hosting times, but would it bring in more customers who want to hear her music? This sort of talent wasn't exactly blackmail material either. Perhaps she could play a piece for their next dance? That would work.

He closed the door as soon as she hit the final notes. A missing slice or two wouldn't be that difficult to calculate.

*\End Flashback/*

Kyoya shook his head to escape the memory. He had yet to approach Jin about her talent, not being able to find the right time. And what exactly was he supposed to say about it? It was unlikely that knowing Jin's reasoning behind not pursuing music would be beneficial to him, but perhaps Tamaki would be interested in it, to help discover Jin's inability to see talent within herself?

So... how to pursue it?

*The Next Day*

Haruhi wasn't exactly sure what she had expected. Sure, Tamaki wasn't like the kind of person to give up, but still, Haruhi had tried everything she could have to make Jin think she was pretty and failed every time.

Still, Tamaki was determined to try, and it wasn't like Haruhi wasn't willing to take the chance.

"Alright men, stage 1 is in motion! Hand me your roses!" Each host held out a red rose to the blond, a slip of paper dangling from the stems. Haruhi got a glimpse of a few of the words written on them. Your eyes sparkle in the sunlight. Your hair looks like melted chocolate. Mainly cheesy stuff that Haruhi knew wasn't going to have the effect they wanted.

"Right then!" Tamaki hastily bound the flowers with a white ribbon, "I will personally place this bouquet on Jin's chair after lunch. When she finds and reads all the wonderful things we've written she's no longer be able to doubt how beautiful she is!"

"Hold up, Boss."

"How come you get the deliver the flowers?"

The blond scoffed, "I sit right beside her in class. It's only obvious."

"Are you sure it's not because you like her?"

Tamaki began to grow red, "You both know very well that Jin and I are simply good friends! She's more like… like a sister to me! Yeah! I love Haruhi like my daughter and Jin like my sister! Your perverted minds simply can't understand that!"

"So now my Néchan is also my aunt? Tamaki-senpai, I think you have a problem with your brain being missing."

This, of course, just caused Tamaki to shout about how it made more sense than they could see (it didn't) and why couldn't the twins just agree that he was the best candidate to deliver the flowers (they wouldn't) and eventually Kyoya just plucked the roses out of Tamaki's hands and walked into the classroom. He placed the flowers on the girl's chair as the bell rang.

Tamaki followed, pouting, and a few minutes later the rest of the class of 2-A filtered into the room. Quite a few people glanced at the flowers placed in Jin's seat, so by the time she actually walked in the first thing she heard was 'there's something for you on your chair'.

The brunette blinked and walked over to her desk. After staring at the roses for a few seconds, she picked them up and sat down, reading the notes tied to each flower. Tamaki tried not to stare, but he was so excited about seeing her reaction he couldn't sit still.

The girl was quiet as she read the notes, but she was smiling warmly. Once she finished reading each and every one, she pulled the notes off and stuck them into her bag before gently rearranging the flowers to stick out of the top flap.

The last student walked in just as Jin leaned over and whispered, "Thank you for the flowers, you guys."

Tamaki blinked, trying to play innocent, "Those flowers weren't from us! Clearly you have a secret admirer!"

"Tamaki, not a single other living soul in this school would write 'Your skin is as fair and delicate as a falling cherry blossom, drifting along in the breeze' and attach the note to a bouquet of roses." She smirked at the way Kyoya pinched the bridge of his nose while Tamaki stuttered, "But it was really sweet of you all to write those nice things. What's the occasion?"

The blond looked to be on the verge of panicking, so Kyoya decided to come clean. It wasn't like she wouldn't figure it out on her own anyways. Like he thought before; Intelligent.

"Tamaki had this idea that we could-"

"Have a Compliment the Waitress day at the Host Club!" The rest of their classmates turned in their seats, wondering why Tamaki had suddenly shouted. Kyoya and Jin were wondering the same thing.

"Compliment… the Waitress day? Aren't I supposed to do the complimenting?"

Tamaki slowly started to nod, "Yes, exactly, but you are still a girl!"

"Last I checked."

"So, why should you be deprived of hearing nice things about you during club activities? Having a Compliment the Waitress day, everyone can tell you nice things and show how much we all appreciate your work!"

Jin glanced around at the other girls in the classroom while Kyoya attempted to pretend that this wasn't a new idea with him. Thank god it seemed like their clients agreed with Tamaki's idea.

"It's true, she might be a part-time host, but she should still have people say something nice to her every once in awhile."

"Telling her how much we appreciate her will probably make her day!"

"Oh, Tamaki is so nice to do something like this for her!"

Kyoya sighed, "I suppose that settles it then. I'll make a post on our site." Tamaki better not screw this up.

*\/*

"Guys… this is really unnecessary." Jin flipped the page of the magazine in her hands, warily eyeing the pages and fidgeting in her seat, "I mean, sure, it's a little flattering to have the girls compliment me during the host club activities, but do I really have to do this?"

The twins leaned over the girl's shoulders and looked at the hairstyles the page she was reading displayed, "Of course. It is your day, after all."

"How could we not get your hair done?"

Jin scrunched up her nose and pinched a lock of her hair between her fingers, "Well, maybe I have a few split ends I wouldn't mind getting snipped, but do we have to have my makeup done too?"

"Yes."

The girl groaned and leaned back in her seat, "Why me?"

Haruhi patted her sister's head, "If I do recall, I tried to warn you away from the host club when you first arrived?"

Jin swatted at the hand, "Shut up."

Just then, a short 40-something year old stepped out from one of the changing areas, "I'm all set up back here. Is she ready?" The brunette groaned as the twins physically lifted her out of her chair.

"She's all set!" Jin grabbed Haruhi's wrist before walking into the curtained area.

As soon as the girls disappeared from sight, the redheads ran out into the main room. A few hired hands were still buzzing around the room, decking it out with green roses in artful designs. The other hosts were setting up their areas, as Jin was a little too preoccupied to bring out the tea and cakes.

"Wow, I forgot how long it takes to heat up the water. Jin seems to set us up in half the time!"

"Boss, Jin just started her appointment. She should be finished in less than ten minutes."

"Well, I sure hope the end result is worth it. A private hairdresser and makeup artist is not cheap. But… I suppose I can add half of the charge to Jin's debt."

Honey looked over from his couch, pausing in swinging his legs back and forth while Mori continued to set up their table himself, "I'm not sure if that's going to make Jin-chan like you any better, Kyo-chan."

The ravenet boy didn't even look up from his journal, "And why should I care if Jin likes me or not? It wouldn't matter one way or the other."

The twins smirked, "Say that you don't care about being her friend all you want, Kyoya-senpai."

"But that doesn't change the fact that you're calling her Jin instead of Ms. Fujioka now."

Kyoya stopped writing in his journal, "A slip of the tongue."

"Many slips it seems like."

"And what about when you and Jin hid in the janitor's closet at the elementary school?" If Kyoya had ever felt like the need to throttle the blond boy who called himself Kyoya's best friend, now would be the best time.

"Exactly how long are the rest of you going to read too deeply into that? We happened to hide in the same spot that was smaller than I originally calculated. Nothing happened, and I have no romantic interest in Jin Fujioka. I am coming to respect her, however."

"Whatever you say."

The ravenet had a feeling he hadn't fully gotten the stupid idea out of the other boy's heads, but decided to save that argument for another time, "Now, on to a more concrete subject. Has someone completed the survey questions?"

"I have them right here!" Tamaki quickly handed the paper over to his friend and let him read over them.

"... Tamaki?"

"Yes?"

"These are pointless questions."

"What!?" Tamaki grabbed the paper back, "But look at this one! 'What sort of flowers would you present to Jin Fujioka, given the chance?'"

"Exactly, pointless. We should be asking questions such as, 'In 250 words or less, give your best description on Jin Fujioka's beauty'."

"Or maybe you should ask 'Is a survey really worth anything to the person who will be reading it?'" The boys turned their heads and saw Haruhi standing with her arms crossed near the edge of the group.

"Why wouldn't it mean anything?"

Haruhi rolled her eyes, "I'm saying, none of you are doing anything different than what I've been doing for years. It doesn't matter from whom or how many times Néchan hears a compliment. She never believes them."

Tamaki straightens his back, "That doesn't mean we can't try again! Is Jin almost done with her appointment?"

The brunette sighs, "Yeah. She made the hairstylist go for the minimalist look, but I think Néchan looks very pretty."

"Minimalist? Minimalist how?"

A shrug, "A trim, some curling, bobby pins, a little hairspray, some foundation, eyeliner, mascara, and eye shadow."

The twins shared a surprised look, "Very minimalist, then."

"You know, I can hear you." Jin smiled as she walked towards the boys, "I wear contacts. Not hearing aids." The boys didn't respond. They were too busy taking in the girl's new appearance. Like Haruhi said, she had gone with the minimalist approached. But, also like Haruhi said, Jin looked very pretty.

Her hair had been left hanging straight down, like normal, save for a lock of hair on either side of her face that had been curled and pinned to neatly frame her face. The rest of her hair lightly brushed at the tops of her shoulders as she walked, the bottom two inches gone. As for the very slight addition of makeup, it seemed like the perfect amount. Her eyes seemed to pop and showed off the hint of blue eye shadow that matched her uniform.

"Jin-chan, you're so cute!"

"Wow, minimalist looks good on you."

"You look like a porcelain doll!"

Jin scoffed at Tamaki's compliment, "I am way too tan to be porcelain, Tamaki. But thanks for the compliments. Now, shouldn't we be getting ready for the guests?"

As the tall brunette walked away to double check the boy's tables, Haruhi and the other's shared sad looks. She didn't sound very flattered by their compliments. Tamaki folded up his survey questions and tossed the paper into the trash can.

"Let's not give up hope men. We still have the guests. In two hours, Jin will be unable to deny that she is beautiful and talented. One last charge!"

As Hikaru, Kaoru, and Honey cheered with new resolve, Kyoya thumbed the pages of his journal. Not to mention that we have one last trick up our sleeves. Perhaps my information will become useful after all...

*\/*

Two hours.

Jin was complimented left and right for two hours, and she had no idea what to think of it. When Tamaki had first told her -and everyone else in their classroom for that matter- that today was going to be 'Compliment the Waitress' day she'd been… flattered wasn't the word. No, she was more wary.

Hearing the odd compliment on her abilities or perhaps even her appearance, she could handle. But constantly being told how nice and pretty and funny and smart she was... well, it was kinda starting to drive her up the wall. Sure, the girls seemed to mean it, but at the same time it was like they were being forced to compliment her. And that didn't sit too well with Jin.

Every so often Jin would disappear into the kitchen and calm herself down before going back out into the fray. She would nod and smile and giggle on occasion whenever someone said something nice to her, but inside the words were bouncing off like rubber balls. And in all honesty, waiting for the girls to come up with compliments -they wouldn't let her leave a table without one from each girl- was making her job that much more stressful. More than once she had to sprint across the room to refill an empty teapot because some compliments slowed her down.

By the time the last guests left for the day, Jin was exhausted. She flopped down onto the closest couch she could find and almost fell asleep.

"Néchan? You okay?"

Jin waved her arm, "Tired." Though she couldn't see her sister with her eyes closed, Jin knew that Haruhi was smiling softly in understanding before she turned and walked away to gather their things. The eldest Fujioka groaned lightly as she stretched her legs. The bobby pins were digging uncomfortably into her scalp and the makeup around her eyes was starting to bug her.

The corners of my eyes are itchy, dammit!

"Jin?"

At Tamaki's voice, Jin cracked her left eye open. The tall blond of the host club was staring down at her, looking almost hopeful.

"Yeah?"

"How was your day?"

"Tiring. Can we please only make 'Compliment the Waitress Day' a once a year thing?"

At her words, Tamaki deflated, "I thought you'd be flattered."

The girl shrugged, "Eh."

The two of them were silent for a few seconds and Jin closed her eyes again. Man, she couldn't wait to go home and turn on some music. Maybe play a game on her phone for a few minutes before starting on her homework…

The couch she was sitting on shifted. Jin lifted her head and saw that Tamaki had taken a seat beside her. The boy looked beaten down.

"You okay? I didn't say anything, right?"

He didn't answer at first. Then, he glanced up at her, "Jin… why are you so determined to not believe you're pretty?"

For a moment, Jin was struck dumb. He knew about that? How could he tell? Especially considering how long it took for him to realize that her sister was actually a girl.

"Why do you say that?"

"Haruhi told us. She said that you don't believe you're pretty, or very talented, despite what everyone else in the world would say. Even Kyoya thinks you're talented!"

At that, Jin raised an eyebrow, "Are you messing with me?"

The blond hit his palm against his forehead, "You're number one in our class, ahead of Kyoya! How could you not think he'd be impressed by that? He might not be pleased, but he's impressed. And besides, he told me about last week. You and Haruhi stayed behind after the host club ended so you could play the piano."

Jin's mouth fell open, "How on Earth could he know-"

"He heard you and watched. In fact, I believe that his exact words were 'At the time, I was in awe of her talent, just as I was when I first heard you play, Tamaki.' Or, something along those lines."

Tamaki stared at the girl, having said his piece. She looked confused and a little… upset?

"You guys did all of this to make me think I'm pretty?"

"Well… and talented, too."

Jin nodded slowly, letting out a smile at the same speed, "Okay. You want to know why your compliments don't seem to stick with me? I kind of trained myself to do that. I had this piano teacher when I was young, before Kagome-sensei. She… well… she wanted me to learn at her pace. Whenever I tried to do something new, she would smack the back of my hands and tell me off. And when I was 8, I started teaching myself upper maths. A few girls a grade above me thought that was weird and felt stupid knowing an 8-year-old could do the math they were struggling with… so they bullied me. I guess I was taught at a young age that being better isn't always a good thing."

Tamaki put a comforting hand on Jin's shoulder, and she continued, "But, it's not all bad. I mean, not always accepting compliments keeps me from getting a big head. I guess I am pretty good at a lot of things, but when I'm told I'm good I won't become arrogant about it. Also… I may not think I'm pretty. But, I do believe that other people think I am. That's enough for now."

The blond watched in silence as the girl stood up and patted the top of his head, "I'll see you tomorrow, Tamaki. Thank you. And tell the others I say 'thank you' to them as well. But tell Kyoya that the next time he creeps on me and my sister I will report him." The two laughed at her joke before she walked away with a wave.

As the Fujioka's walked out of the music room, a certain ravenet walked over to his friend, "So, did you convince her that she's pretty?"

Tamaki glanced up, "You know what, Kyoya? I don't think we need too."

...

How does it feel to love everyone else with all your heart?

To hold someone's beauty and talents above your own and be proud of them no matter what, even if you have to get rid of the pride in your own achievements to make room?

How does it feel to know that by being kind and loving you're making someone's life shine like a million suns? Knowing that you'll never purposefully bring someone down like others did to you?

How does it feel?

It feels like a life well lived.