Episode 11

The Grade School Host is the Naughty Type!

The Ouran High School Host Club is now open for business…

...or, at least it will be in 15 minutes.

At the moment, the hosts were milling around the room, making last minute adjustments to their cosplays or just talking to each other. But then again, it's never exactly the host club unless someone is pulling a rise out of another.

"Hey, Jin?"

"Why do you have a coloring book in your bag?"

Jin jolted a bit in her chair before scrambling to her feet. She rushed over to the twins who were carefully scrutinizing a children's coloring book. There was a cartoon lion on the front cover that looked partially colored in with scribbled lines, and about half of the drawings inside looked very similar. A few pages here and there looked to have been torn out.

The redheads got perhaps a full minute to really look it over before she pulled it out of their hands, "H-hey! What are you doing in my bag anyways?"

"We weren't in your bag! It fell over and the book fell out!"

"Uh huh, yeah, and how'd it fall over in the first place?"

"Fair point."

Jin rolled her eyes and stuck the coloring book back in, "I have this coloring book because I'm going to be babysitting from the moment I get off our train. One of our neighbors owns their own café, and on the rare occasion that they can't have either one of them leave to stay with their son after he gets home from school, they call me. Today I'm babysitting for about three to four hours."

The twins shared a glance, "Babysitting…"

"You mean… like a nanny?"

"Um… sort of. Babysitting is like being a temporary nanny."

Haruhi walked over, a confused look all over her face, "Do you guys really not know what a babysitter is?"

"Haru? Different lives, remember?"

The shorter brunette shrugged, "Alright. I just thought it was weird."

"You're weird."

"Hey!"

Jin laughed at the disgruntled look on her sister's face, "Oh, Haru, you're so cute!"

"Shut up, Nēchan."

"10 minutes, everyone!"

The four students began drifting back to the center of the room as Jin explained, "There are a lot of younger kids that live near us, and I've been the oldest kid around for about five or six years, so whenever one of our neighbors needs a babysitter, they call me and see if I can step in. They usually pay me for it or owe me a favor themselves, but it honestly doesn't feel like a job to me at all. I'm good with kids."

Haruhi smirked as she messed with her cosplay's headpiece, "And you have me to thank, you know."

"Yeah, I know, Haru. If I can take care of you for ten years I can handle anything."

"Nēchan?"

"Almost anything."

The girls giggled and lightly shoved each other. The twins just shared a glance and slipped into their beginning spot. Commoners are the weird ones.

Jin wrapped her right arm around Haruhi's shoulder and planted her free hand on her hip. Her fingers brushed at the tiny sliver of skin that showed above her slightly see-through pants and she squirmed. At least my entire belly doesn't show. That would be embarrassing.

No, she liked her cosplay today. It's title had frightened her just a tad, but it had proved to be more modest than it claimed.

She was, in the loosest term, a "belly dancer". The outfit was a dark kind of pink color, and it sparkled every time her body shifted even a centimeter. There were hints of golden accents around her hips and shoulders, meant to draw people's eyes to the bare skin of her waist and collar bone. And the piece de resistance: A pink fez that was pinned to her hair. She was very… pink. With the exception of the green rose corsage on her right wrist.

Chunk!

The eight hosts snapped to attention at the sound of the doorknob being twisted. Do we already have a guest? I didn't think we were open yet...

Nevertheless, as soon as the door opened, the hosts were all smiles, "Welcome to the Ouran Host Club." But instead of greeting a crowd of giggling girls...

"Oh, it's just a kid."

"Not only that, it's just a boy."

Jin and Haruhi shared a glance.

What's a boy doing here at the host club?

Is he lost?

Could be. But… why is he sitting on the floor?

No clue.

"What's wrong, little boy? Did you come to my palace in search of something?"

The kids eyes locked in on Tamaki and he stood up, "Uh… are you… the king of this place?"

Jin pressed her free hand against her cheek, "Oh... no~"

Tamaki didn't respond at first, so the kid asked again.

"Come closer, lost one. What was it you just called me?" The elementary student came to a stop just a few steps away from where they were grouped. He was eyeing Tamaki a little oddly, but he still answered.

"The King?"

"Ahh! The King! Yes, I am the King of the Ouran Host Club! Long live the Host King!"

Jin rolled her eyes and looked at the kid, "Hello! Welcome to the Ouran Host Club. What's your name?"

"I'm an elementary 5th year. Shiro Takaoji!" The kid squared his shoulders and pointed dramatically at the blond, "I want the host club king to take me on as an apprentice!"

Seven heads tilted in confusion while Tamaki lightly touched his rosy cheeks. It took them all a moment to process exactly what had just been said.

"Oh yes! I will take you on as an apprentice, Shiro! I would love to have you around and teach you everything I know!"

"Tamaki? Would you mind terribly getting back into position? We open soon. And besides, we are not prepared to have another host included into today's activities. Perhaps Shiro can begin his apprenticeship tomorrow?" The girls snuck a glance at the vice president before looking back at each other.

Why is he always so calm about everything that goes on?

He's probably used to it, hanging around Tamaki so much.

It took a few more seconds of coaxing and bickering, but the hosts managed to convince Tamaki to dismiss Shiro for the day and be back in position by the time the first guests of the day walked in.

The next day, Shiro showed up right as school got out, apparently eager to begin his training. And it took all of twenty-nine minutes for the kid to become a complete menace.

Haruhi watched from a short distance as Shiro leaned even further forward towards Tamaki and the girl's face, whom were unnervingly close as well. It almost looked like how a third-wheel feels on a date. The other two are being all romantic, while the third person wants attention but feels like the romance is in his face. Don't ask why Haruhi knew what that felt like.

"Don't you think it's weird he's making Shiro observe him up close like that?"

"Tamaki seems to live his life by the theory that people are more beautiful the closer they are viewed. He appears to be focusing on that particular lesson with his new apprentice."

Haruhi frowned and turned around to look for her sister. Jin was flitting around the tables, chit chatting with the girls and giving the boys a short break to regroup their thoughts. Haruhi smiled. While she was still positive that if Jin had never met the hosts her life would've had a more definite feeling of control, it was nice knowing that her favorite person was only a word away.

Wow, that was cheesy even for me.

"You look more like the carp that swim in my pond at home. I'd never give such false compliments like that!"

Jin and Haruhi whipped their heads around. Oh… my...

The poor girl was sobbing hysterically in her seat while Tamaki tried (in idiotic vain) to salvage the situation. Of course, that ended up with her fleeing the room calling him an idiot. Which, to be honest, was completely true.

"Wow, that was rough."

Jin slipped up to Haruhi's side and passed over her empty tray, "I know. But what was he supposed to say to her in that type of situation? Here, can you take this tray and clear off the tea sets from the empty table by Tamaki? I have a girl to calm down."

"No problem, Nēchan. I'll call for you if it gets any worse."

"I have no doubt that it will."

And with that, Jin ran after the crying girl. Haruhi watched her exit through the doors before sneaking closer to the gradually growing "battlefield". It was, to put it bluntly, a verbal train wreck.

Haruhi scooped up the cups as, one after the other, the other hosts accumulated around Tamaki's table, throwing Shiro through a loop. First, it was the twins and their usual twincest. Then Honey and his appearance not matching his age. And finally Mori coming to Honey's rescue.

They're all morons.

Unfortunately, if Haruhi thought she was going to be able to get away without a few problems herself, she had another thing coming. Shiro backed into her as she attempted to carry the tea set away.

Once the glassware was steady again, she glanced down at the boy, "You okay? Don't worry if the guys are acting really strange right now, you'll get used to it. I'm new around here too, and so is my onēchan. It took us a while to grow used to the weirdos around here."

The kid was staring at her.

"Is something wrong?"

"Are you a crossdresser?"

Haruhi blinked; her mind a blank sheet of paper. She couldn't think of a single thing to say in response. Thankfully, Tamaki came to her rescue.

Wow, never thought I'd ever say that.

The blond quickly covered Shiro's eyes, "Okay! That's enough! I think Shiro should take care of the tea set for you, Haruhi."

The twins were quick to pick up on their "king's" plan and started patting her head, commenting on how 'manly' she looked today. As the three boys continued to laugh nervously, Haruhi rolled her eyes and moved her head away from the twin's hands. The doors to the host club opened behind them and she turned around to see her sister walking back into the room. Jin nodded in Haruhi's direction. Damage control: Complete.

The brunette turned back around, "Actually, Shiro, if you don't mind I'd like to go talk to my onēchan for a moment, so could you take the tray?" The 5th year didn't say a word. He just frowned up at them all and held out his hands. Geez, this kid is acting just downright unpleasant. How long are we going to have him hanging around, again?

"Alright," she passed the tray over and waited for Shiro to get a good grip on the handles, "Be careful now, it's pretty heavy." She pulled her hands away and Shiro kept the tray perfectly steady.

Then he dropped it.

The high schoolers gasped as glass shards scattered across the floor, sugar and the last couple dregs of tea erupting into a big mess. Haruhi didn't dare move lest she stepped on some and made more pieces to pick up later.

"It's not my fault I dropped it. It's your fault because you're the one who made me take it in the first place."

"...Say what?"

"Haruhi, that's another 100,000 yen."

"HUH!?" It was only when Haruhi spun around that she saw Jin again. Her sister had clearly been on her way over to the group as soon as the tray fell, but now she was frozen in place about halfway across the room. Her jaw was clenched as were her fists, and her eyes sparkled with an icy tinge to them.

And then Shiro spotted her.

"Hey! You should make the girl do all your stupid chores, she's not doing anything else! I'm not here to carry tea sets I'm here to learn how to make women happEEEEEE!"

That last little bit came out in a high-pitched squeak as Jin had appeared behind the little brat and hoisted him up into the air. The other hosts watched in astonishment as the 2nd year marched to the wall with her right hand clenched around the back of the boy's uniform. She stopped in front of a pretty painting depicting the cherry blossoms on a windy day. It was very lovely and one of Jin's favorite things about the music room, but today she didn't bother to admire the colors. Instead she plucked the frame off of it's hook and replaced it with Shiro. The boy was screaming and kicking frantically at the wall, but he couldn't find enough purchase to push himself up and off of the hook.

Jin didn't seem even remotely bothered by the shouts and complaints coming from elementary student. She casually leaned the painting against the wall for the time being and made her way back to the others, who recalled that the only other time Jin had looked this angry was when Renge had arrived a couple weeks ago.

The long haired brunette stopped directly in front of Kyoya, "The broken tea set was not Haru's fault. Make Shiro pay for it. Or Tamaki. I don't care, but making Haru and I pay for something that wasn't our fault is not fair."

Now, usually Kyoya would've wanted to argue how billing a elementary student wouldn't be as easy as it sounded, but there was something dangerous about Jin's voice when she spoke. A sort of 'Do-not-fuck-with-me' kind of vibe, and Kyoya decided that an argument right now would not go over well, especially in front of their guests who were just starting to leave.

As a group, the hosts walked back over to Shiro, who's struggling had not toned down in the slightest.

"What are you doing? I didn't do anything! Let me down NOW!"

"Not until you learn some manners." Jin rested her fists on her hips and drilled her gaze into Shiro's eyes, "If you want to make girls happy, the first thing you need to do is get a handle on that mouth of yours. In case you weren't aware of it, most people don't appreciate being called names, being blamed for your faults, or being judged for who their friends are. So, rule number one for making girls happy: Be nice to others."

The brunet, who had been quiet for a moment while Jin spoke, flailed around again, "This is no way to let your loyal apprentice be treated, now let me down!"

"Not until you've learned your lesson," Tamaki took a seat at a nearby table and doled out tea for the other hosts, who all began enjoying a warm drink after the hectic activities, "I took you on as my apprentice because I thought you were serious about becoming a host, but I guess I was mistaken. The other alternative to Jin's actions would be to put you in isolation, so if you would prefer that instead…"

"But I am serious! Totally completely serious! I want you to teach me how to make a woman happy!" Shiro squirmed around his spot on the wall three more times before slumping down in defeat, head tucked into his chest. "I'm gonna run out of time…please won't you teach me?" The sisters straightened up in their chairs and looked at each other.

Did you hear that?

Yup. That certainly brings a new perspective to the playing field...

"Please! Give me a second chance! Teach me to be like you? You're a genius at hosting! You're the king!"

The others looked up from their own tea, unamused. Aaaaand… he's got him.

Tamaki stood up and folded his arms, smug smile in place, "Well, you may be a brat, but I admire your desire to become a host, so I'll teach you. You know, Shiro, you and I are so much alike!"

"You poor kid," Haruhi hummed. Jin snorted into her tea cup.

"Then you'll help me become the kind of host that can make any woman happy?"

"Of course. Making women happy is the sole purpose of being a host. If this is what you really want, Shiro, then you'll have to figure out how to use the material you already have."

"What?"

"You see, Shiro, here at the Ouran Host Club we use our individual personality traits to meet the needs of our guests. For example, Tamaki is the princely type for women who wish to be doted upon as royalty, for example. We also have an additional selection of the Stoic type, the Boy Lolita, the Little-Devil type, and the Cool type." As Kyoya listed the other host's off, they gathered in a little group in front of where Shiro was hung up, holding their signature rose colors up in a little pose.

"And now our group is complete with the addition of Haruhi, the Natural type, and Jin… the Nurturing type."

Finally, all eight of the hosts were grouped in front of the dangling kid, and Jin hummed softly. The Nurturing type? Not bad... I suppose that explains the Demeter cosplay...

"It would seem that right now we have a perfect blend of characteristics, so it's going to be difficult to find where Shiro fits in." Said boy was pressing himself against the wall, as far away from the hosts as possible. He seemed almost frightened, and Haruhi couldn't blame him. Kyoya did give off that sort of vibe.

"Technically, with his age, he should be the Boy Lolita-"

"-but that's Honey-senpai area."

Jin felt something tug on her skirt and looked down to see a sniffling blond boy, "Is he going to replace me, Jin-chan?"

The brunette was quick to scoop the small boy into her arms and cradle the back of his head, "Oh, no, Sweetie. We could never replace you, I promise. Mori-senpai and I wouldn't let them."

"Oh, come on. Is that the best you can do?"

A certain powerful motor powered up and the music room floor rumbled as Renge spiraled up out of the ground. She hadn't even finished spinning around on her pedestal before she began complaining. Calling their characterizations 'boring' and 'lackluster'.

"Alright then, Ms. Manager, where do you think Shiro belongs in our collection of characters?" Tamaki gestured to the crying boy in Jin's arms, "He can't be the Boy Lolita because Honey-senpai-"

"You're just not getting it, are you?" The blonds gasped at Renge's harsh tone. She cleared her throat before launching into a long winded detailing of 'Shota' and 'Shota Fans'. Jin fuzzed out a little ways into it, only zoning back in when she began winding down.

"If I had to pick a character for him… yes! He's the Naughty Type! Jin-senpai? Could you please place Shiro back on the floor so we can begin his training?"

She shrugged, but did as Renge asked. Besides, Shiro had probably learned his lesson. For now, at least. And, even if he hadn't, Renge was sure to make him learn another one anyways. As the hosts watched their "Manager" slip slightly back into her characterization methods again, Jin heard a simultaneous throat clearing.

"Yes?"

"Those were some A+ babysitting skills there, Jin-senpai."

The girl scoffed, "I'm not babysitting Shiro at the moment, nor have I ever had a previous connection with him or his family. He was behaving rudely to his peers, speaking out of line, and damaging property. It is my belief that when children are behaving poorly, they deserve a time-out or some other form of punishment. Normally, I don't do something as drastic as hanging them up on a wall, but I had a feeling he wasn't going to sit quietly in the corner for fifteen minutes. Besides, weren't you going to put him in isolation?"

"True."

"But you hung him from the wall."

"That I did. Think he'll forget that anytime soon?"

The redheads looked at each other and smirked, "Probably not."

The three of them returned their attention to the elementary student just as he tripped and face-planted the tile floor.

Renge crouched down beside him, "Are you okay, little one?" The seemingly caring tone was dampened by a sharp whistle blast, "Your catchphrase!"

"No big deal. It was nothing."

And that seemed to do it for Renge. She pressed her palms against her face and let out a sound akin to that of a newborn kitten. The rest of the hosts exchanged glances, some of them a little bit impressed by the short amount of time it had taken to "train" their new little host. Tamaki even applauded.

"That was outstanding. I never knew you were such a great coach, Renge." The auburn-haired girl let out her signature shriek-laughter and the sisters exchanged another significant glance. Impressive time crunch? Perhaps. Outstanding? Er…

"AaaaaAAAAI'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU WEIRDOS!" Everyone turned at Shiro's outburst. The poor boy was still on his hands and knees, looking to be on the verge of tears.

"This is so stupid, none of this is ever going to help me make her happy."

Haruhi and Jin deflated simultaneously.

"But who-"

"-is 'her'?"

Unfortunately, none of them could do anything as Shiro ran from the room, ignoring Tamaki's cries of 'Wait' and 'Come back, Shiro!'

As the doors boomed shut, Renge climbed back onto her pedestal, "I swear, younger boys are good for nothing. I went through all that trouble to coach him, and he quits." It took a lot of patience for Jin to not walk over and try to knock some sense into the other girl's head. These damn rich people, I swear…

"I can't believe he ditched us because he didn't like the lesson!" The Fujioka's shook their heads.

"Senpai, there are very few people in this world who would remotely enjoy that kind of lesson, but weren't you listening earlier?"

"He said he was going to run out of time, and just now he said that none of this was going to make 'her' happy."

The girls spoke in quiet unison, "Which means this has all been about a girl."

*\/*

Half an hour later, the host club had migrated to another section of Ouran Academy; the elementary buildings. Except, there had been a quick sort of costume change before they left...

"How did we let them talk us into this?"

"It'll be okay, Haru-chan! It was so easy to sneak in, especially by wearing this uniform! I really look like I'm in elementary school!"

"Yeah, I totally understand why they had to wear that uniform, Senpai. It helps you blend it, at least, but why did they stuff me in a middle school uniform? It doesn't make any sense!"

*/Flashback to 30 min ago\*

Tamaki spoke in a low voice, "Alright men, it's time to begin." The twins and Mori were wearing creepy grins, which was mind blowing considering Mori was smiling at all, but those three, Kyoya, and Tamaki all looked a little too pleased with themselves for anything good to happen in the next couple minutes.

Haruhi tilted her head, "What are you talking about?"

Honey inched forward in his seat, "What mission?"

"Yeah," Jin crossed her arms from the sidelines, "And how come you haven't told the three of us anything?"

"Our mission: to infiltrate the elementary school… and the two of you are going in."

Jin's eyes narrowed, "I've got a bad feeling about this…"

*\End Flashback/*

Honey suddenly grabbed Haruhi's arm and started pulling her down the hallway, "This way, Haru-chan! If Shiro-chan is in the A-class, then his room isn't that far!"

Tamaki watched the two smaller members of the host club from an empty computer lab a short ways down the hallway, "Look at her in that miniskirt! Haruhi looks like a little doll!" Even the dark, the boy's dark blush was easy to see, as was the steady line of drool dripping down his chin.

Jin leaned up against the wall and leveled a solid gaze at Tamaki, "This was all just so you could see my little sister in a short skirt?" Tamaki's face somehow grew even redder.

"Of course not!"

"Uh huh. Well, you're lucky she looks so cute, not that she doesn't always, or else I'd be making her change back into her regular uniform right now." Tamaki held up his hands with a shaky laugh, but Jin just pushed past him and peered out into the hallway. "They're gone. Which way do you think they went? I have a feeling our 'leader' wasn't paying attention."

"Shiro is in Class-A. Take a right."

The six high school students slipped out into the hallway and hurried after their fellow club members. They were always a hallway behind, just barely seeing Haruhi's brown skirt before it slipped around a corner. The twins took the lead soon enough, happily dashing around and looking at all the things that had changed since they had left for the middle school. A full minute of this sneaking around passed before the twins went to round a corner only to quickly fall backwards. They ran back to the others with a look of panic.

"There's a teacher coming!"

"Hide!"

The six dashed to the sides of the hallway. Mori ducked behind a curtain, the twins tucked and rolled under a bench, Tamaki slid in between a potted plant and a pillar before ducking down to the floor, and Jin pulled open a door that read 'Janitor's closet' and slipped inside. Kyoya was right on her heels and shut the door behind him.

The first thing they noticed was that the room was small.

Like… really, really small.

The two couldn't hear anything except the hum of the cooling unit rumbling alongside the walls, so they figured no one would hear them as long as they whispered. Which meant the first words out were:

"Find your own hiding spot!"

The two frowned at each other and tried to wiggle around in an attempt to put space between them, but they were pressed up tightly between the walls and each other.

"I can't believe you followed me in here!"

"Where did you expect me to do? Jump out a window? Hide behind a plant like Tamaki?"

"Better than in here! It's too small for two people!"

"Look, I like this no more that you, but there were no other places. We fit just fine, so be quiet and wait it out."

"Kyoya, if 'we fit just fine' means 'I can't move an inch without touching the other person' to you, then yeah, we fit just fine."

"Stop talking or we'll be caught!"

"They won't hear us over the fans, but you're right, I don't want to risk being found by some teacher with your hands on my hips."

Kyoya quickly lifted his hands away, but frowned down at the girl pressed to his chest, "Well, if you're going to insist on talking so that we are caught, how about we give our captors a show?"

Jin's face felt warm, but she responded quickly, "I swear to god, Kyoya, one more word from you and I'll knee you where the sun doesn't shine."

Now both parties were pink faced, but they only waited for two more seconds before the door opened. For a split second, they felt a jolt of fear and embarrassment from being caught in a janitor's closet by a teacher like they were a pair of horny teenagers; what could they possibly say to explain themselves? But at the sight of Mori's blank face they sighed and wriggled out of the cramped space, taking the extra energy needed to shove at each other more than necessary.

The twins snickered, "Nice hiding place, you two."

"I hope we didn't distract you from anything."

Jin glared at the boys, "Where do we go from here?"

"Around the corner."

The group scampered around to Shiro's classroom doors just as Haruhi's voice called out from inside.

"It's empty."

Well, the boys didn't need any further encouragement. They walked straight in, which gave Jin no choice but to follow. Sure, being caught by a teacher by herself was better than being caught with a boy, but still. She gave the hallway one more up and down before turning back to the interior of the room. The hosts were roaming around the classroom, making offhand comments about how it had changed since they were 5th years.

Haruhi was looking more irritated by the second, "Hey, if you're just going to barge in like that then why'd we wear these stupid disguises? And what took you so long anyways? One minute you were following us, then you disappeared!"

Jin slid up to her sister's side, "A teacher was walking down the hallway, so we had to hide." Her sister jolted.

"You mean there are still teachers roaming around?"

"Relax, Haruhi, we haven't been caught yet. Were you expecting the teachers to just leave all these elementary kids alone by themselves after school hours?"

"And besides, even if another teacher did come along, I'm sure we could find some hiding places again…"

The twins grinned dangerously at Jin, who glared right back, but Haruhi's following question died in her throat at the sound of shoes hitting tile. They all looked around at the doors before dropping to the floor. Of course, Hikaru and Kaoru just had to sneak a joke in.

"Hey, Jin and Kyoya…"

"Want to find another closet to hide in?"

The older brunette looked ready to jump up and throttle the redheads, but a small restraining hand on her shoulder kept her steady.

"Shhh...Shut up, guys!"

The girls pretended to zip their lips shut, "Keep your lips zipped!" The twins and Tamaki went completely red faced, staring intently at Haruhi. It was enough to make Jin smirk. Sometimes the twins forgot how much teasing material they gave up before they tried to take the mickey out of her.

The footsteps were starting to retreat, so Jin silently stood up. She gracefully slid over a desk and scurried to the doorframe. Peeking out, she watched as the adult continued to walk away from the classroom they were hiding in, intently reading some papers in his hand.

"It's alright everyone, he's gone."

The boys stood up and dusted themselves off while Haruhi snuck her own glance out into the hallway, "Nēchan? Doesn't that teacher seem… familiar to you?"

Jin's eyebrows came together and she poked her head out the door once more. It took a few seconds, but eventually the girl gasped.

"Oh my goodness! I didn't even notice!"

"Well, I found something of interest as well."

The others looked over to see Honey and Kyoya staring at a large collection of photos on the wall. Jin looked at each one she passed. They seemed to be a collection of all the kids in the classroom. Smiling, playing, or just plain ol' cute ones. There was even an adorable picture of some kids chasing cherry blossoms through the air.

But the one Kyoya was pointing at was focused on… Shiro. Shiro smiling, in fact. Sitting at a magnificent grand piano with a cute little girl at his side. He looked happier than the hosts had ever seen him before.

"It looks like our Shiro is in the classical music club."

"He looks like he's having a good time. It's nice to see him smiling."

Jin met her sister's eyes.

So what happened to make him so upset?

Think this might have to do with the girl in the picture?

Well, he's upset because of something to do with a girl, and he's happy with that girl in the picture. Makes sense at least.

Good thing he's in the classical music club then.

The older Fujioka smirked and nodded.

Tamaki murmured a small 'yeah' before asking Kyoya how to get to the music room. It took less than ten minutes to find it.

Honey pointed through a window, "There he is! There's Shiro-chan!" The hosts followed the small blond's gaze until they saw a certain brunet boy sitting on the ledge of another window, one that looked outside. He looked so solemn, a complete and drastic change from the picture in his classroom. Speaking of that picture, the girl walked up to him. The two started talking, and the hosts were watching them so intently they didn't notice as their group of eight had dwindled to seven.

"Hey… where's Jin-chan?" The six boys looked around the hallway, but there was no sign of the older Fujioka sibling.

"Where did she go?"

"She was just here!"

Haruhi sighed before pointing back into the classroom, "She's in there, you guys."

"What?!" The hosts went back to peering into the elementary music room and watched as Jin approached the music teacher who was assisting a young girl with her viola.

"What is she doing?!"

Inside the music room, Jin was having a hard time containing her grin. Kagome-sensei was tightening the girl's viola string with so much concentration his neck was just a tinge red. The little girl was staring at her with confusion and interest, so Jin held up a finger to her lips and winked. The girl smiled and nodded happily before looking back at her teacher just as he plucked a perfectly tuned note.

"Aha! There we are, good as new!"

Jin clapped her hands, "Amazing work, Sensei! Your cheeks didn't even turn pink this time!"

The older man spun around in surprise before his face broke out into a grin, "Ms. Fujioka! I see you've returned from America safe and sound."

"That I did. And I see you're still cranking out the young protegees." She spared the group of little kids that had accumulated around them a grin before walking closer to her old piano teacher.

"Yes, it seems there's more of them every year, each of them more talented than the last! At this rate I'll never retire; I'm going to want to teach them all!"

The two laughed lightly before Jin cleared her throat, "Actually, Kagome-sensei, I'm not here just to visit."

"Oh? Shame. For a moment I felt special."

The brunette smiled kindly, "It's great to see you again, and I would've visited eventually, but I've actually been in recent touch with one of your current students." Her teacher noted the more serious tone.

"Really? Which one of them was it?"

"Shiro Takaoji. He came to the club I'm a member of and after a while he stormed out, saying he was going to run out of time and something about a girl. Would you happen to know what he was talking about? My friends and I would like to help."

Jin's old teacher sighed and placed a hand on her right shoulder, "I don't think this is a problem you can fix, Ms. Fujioka. Do you see the young lady over by the grand piano?" Jin looked over her shoulder and saw the same girl who had been talking with Shiro a moment ago. She was playing Mozart's Sonata in D major. It was supposed to be played by two pianos really, but she was performing well on her own. And Shiro was listening to her calmly, eyes closed and a small smile on his face.

"Yes."

"That is Hina Kamishiro. She's one of my star pupils, perhaps Shiro's closest friend, and she is moving away in a little less than two weeks from now. Her father was just offered a new job in Germany, and Hina is going with him."

Jin looks back at the boy, this time with sympathy in her eyes. No wonder he's been acting so upset. Having a close friend go from being nearby all the time to far away felt worse than being stabbed, at least in Jin's personal experience. And if Shiro also had a crush on Hina…

"Mr. Takaoji has been nearly inconsolable. He started skipping out on the club, and just yesterday he informed me that he was going to seek help. I assume he meant your club."

"Yeah, I think he did."

Just then Shiro opened his eyes and stared at Hina. The girl played a few more bars before glancing over at her friend as well. The boy blushed lightly and turned away.

And saw Jin.

His eyes went wide as Jin quickly turned back to her old teacher, "Well, it's been nice catching up, but I should probably go now."

Kagome-sensei nodded, "Very well. Do come see me some other time. I still think you'd do wonderfully as a professional pianist. World renown even!"

Jin couldn't help but laugh a bit, "I'm sure you do. Goodbye!"

The brunette hurried out of the room, only to come face-to-face with the other hosts.

"What was that?"

Jin held up her hands, "Guys, really, I know some of you are mad or confused but we have some more pressing matters to deal with right now. The girl Shiro is watching is named Hina Kamishiro. She's one of his closest friends but she's moving to Germany in about two weeks."

Tamaki quickly shut up and looked back through the window, "Really? That… hey, where did Shiro-"

"What do you think you're doing here?" The high schoolers looked over by the entrance of the music room, where Shiro was glaring at them. Tamaki's face darkened and he wordlessly grabbed the salty boy, throwing him over his shoulder.

Shiro immediately started thrashing in Tamaki's grip, "Hey! Put me down! What are you doing? Ah! Let me go! Just put me down!"

"It's time to go, gentlemen."

As one, the host club turned around and started walking down the hallway, Shiro screaming at them the whole way.

*\/*

When the group reached their own music room, Shiro was dropped unceremoniously on one of the couches.

"What is your problem, you big idiot?!"

"I'm sorry, but you're the idiot!" Shiro looked taken aback. It must've been a while since someone shouted back at him.

"You said that you wanted me to teach you how to make women happy, but that's not it, is it? You're not concerned with the happiness of just any woman. You've got your sights set on one woman in particular. You only care about Ms. Hina Kamishiro!" Tamaki's shoulders sank a little, "But I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to help you with that. Listen, Shiro, I know that I told you it's the job of a host to make women happy, but when you care for someone you must find the courage to express what is in your heart! You have to tell her how you feel about her!"

The small boy stared up at his former mentor before letting his head fall into his chest, "It doesn't matter any more. I've run out of time. I just…" his voice was on the cusp of breaking, "...I wanted to hear her play. Before she left for good. That's all…"

"That piece she played. It's Mozart's Sonata in D major for two pianos, isn't it?" Shiro's head perked up, surprised that Tamaki knew the name of the piece. The tall blond walked over to a curtained off area. He grabbed a fistfull of the cloth and pulled.

Revealing an absolutely beautiful grand piano.

"Wait a minute… since when was there a grand piano in here?"

"Well, this is a music room after all-"

"-so why wouldn't it have a grand piano?"

Haruhi felt her fingers twitch and looked over to see what Jin thought of it all, but her sister was staring intently at the piano instead. Her eyes had lit up and there was the faintest smile curving her lips.

Tamaki took a seat on the piano bench. He lifted his hands for a moment before bringing them down to pull forth an absolutely wonderful piece of music. The melody was bouncy and reminded the sisters of springtime in the park. Later, once Tamaki finished his piece, he told Shiro to come to the music room every morning, lunch, recess, and during his free time after school for piano lessons for the next week. Because it was pretty clear that the one thing that would make Hina happy would be to play the piano with Shiro.

*One week later*

Hina Kamishiro looked between the name above the door and the note in her hand, making sure that she wasn't reading the elegant scrawl incorrectly. No, she was in the right place. Music Room #3.

The little one mustered up her courage before opening the large doors. They opened surprisingly easily and revealed a room that shone with white. Seven handsome boys and a pretty girl also dressed in white tuxes and, in the girl's case, a white blouse and skirt combo, were standing by the door to greet her.

"Welcome Princess!"

"We present to you: Shiro Takaoji's… piano recital."

Hina gasped as she saw her friend sitting at a magnificent grand piano. Tamaki walked over and pulled out a chair for the second piano beside Shiro's.

"If you please, Princess." Hina stared at the empty chair before a bubble of hope started forming in her stomach. She smiled as Shiro looked over at her.

"Let's play together, Hina."

It took her approximately a half second to respond.

Not even a minute later, the two were playing the Mozart piece. Their parts fit together like puzzle pieces. And the hosts had never seen two elementary students look so happy before.

"We did a good thing."

Jin smiled and laid a hand on her classmate's shoulder, "Yes… you did."

Haruhi leaned backwards against her sister's chest, "He loves with all his heart. So I guess that's one way Shiro takes after you, Senpai." Haruhi smiled and Jin hugged her sister from behind.

*5 days later*

Shiro was visiting the host club again. He had come to formally thank them for all their help last week, but the guests had asked him to stay for the rest of the afternoon. He was a big hit with the girls, but his favorite topic was telling them all about Hina and how the two of them were going to be staying in touch, even if he pretended it wasn't a big deal.

"So, you've been exchanging emails with Hina every day?" Haruhi couldn't help but find that impressive. Maybe there's some truth to the idea of soul mates? How else would two 5th year elementary students be so devoted to each other?

"Yeah, more or less. We're going to make it more daily once she actually moves, but for now it's mainly just making sure it works and that we're 'comfortable' with communicating that way, or whatever."

The large group of girls around him were fawning over his cuteness, which put a few of the others hosts on edge, especially when the girls started kissing his cheeks.

"You brat. Those are my guests!"

Shiro glanced over his shoulder playfully, "Heh, well I guess they found someone they like better. I think maybe there's a new host king in town." That did it. Tamaki shouted and lunged for the boy, only being held down by the twins who had tightly wrapped themselves around his lower half.

Haruhi watched the scene with a blank face, "Shiro really does have a lot in common with Tamaki-senpai. I get the feeling Senpai was also a spoiled brat when he was a little kid." Jin shook her head good-naturedly, amused by Tamaki's overreaction.

"I was not a spoiled brat! I was nothing like him! I was a sweet, innocent, precious, adorable child!"

The others couldn't help but smile.