Brilliant Red Love (An Ouran Highschool Host Club Fanfic)

Chapter Seven: The Truth Behind Akane's Story

The Host Club raced down the steps to where Akane was waiting.

"Hey, you guys. What're you doing here?" She asked casually.

"That was totally awesome!" Hikaru hollered. 

Kaoru waved his arms around. "I can't believe you didn't tell us that you could do martial arts like Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai!"

Akane blinked. "Those were martial arts? My real parents taught them to me as acrobatics. Then they left me in the orphanage."

Mori nodded. "That was the Katonozuka technique. It's also known as the shizen dansu geijutsu. It combines the Haninozuka martial arts with elaborate dancing, which makes it so difficult to master, as you need both strength and grace."

Akane blinked. "And why is this so important?"

Mori rolled his eyes, grabbing Akane by the arm. "Let's go see your parents."

Kyoya exchanged glances with Tamaki, then followed the two of them back to the waiting cars.

Within half an hour, Akane, all seven Host Club members, and Akane's parents were seated as comfortably as possible in the Hayashi's living room. Mori explained the whole situation.

Mrs. Hayashi sighed when Mori finished. "As you all know, we aren't Akane's real parents. Her real parents left her at an orphanage when she was just six years old, after teaching her various forms of what they called 'dance and karate'. They didn't tell us anything else about her, except that her full first  name was Akanekawa Taigariri, and that she would one day fullfil her destiny, bringing her family back to power."

Tamaki frowned. "But isn't Akane a rather strange name? I mean, it does mean 'brilliant red'. And the 'kawa' part of her name means river. So, a 'brilliant red river'? That gives me the chills."

Akane frowned. "Do you have a problem with my name, senpai?" Her brown eyes flared dangerously. "Besides, that's not my only name. I have several: Akanekawa Taigariri, Akai Kitsune Hana, which means 'red fox flower', and Akai Ame, which means 'red rain'. And not to mention Akayuki, which means 'red snow', Akairo Hoshi, which means 'red star', Akai Hane, which means 'red blade', Taiga, which means 'tiger', and Taigariri, which means 'Tiger Lily'. But I prefer plain old Akane."

Kyoya adjusted his glasses. "You know, Akane. Every one of your names, besides Taiga and Taigariri, have the word 'red' in it. Why is that?"

"To be honest, I have no idea. But I like Taiga a lot better than 'red blade'. Honestly, who names their daughter after a bloody knife?" Akane replied.

Mrs. Hayashi smiled sadly. "Well, back to the story. Her parents told us she was trained in various dances and karate. We, however, knew better. What our new daughter did was more than just dance or karate. It was something more ancient and powerful, but we had no idea what. That is, until you boys came."

Haruhi leaned forward. "Wait, you moved here from England? Why?"

Mr. Hayashi took up the story. "We had received multiple warning messages, stating that Akane was being hunted down, and that we needed to keep her safe. Since we knew that she was of Japanese nationality, we came back here."

"Wow." Honey breathed. 

"Do you know her real surname?" Mori asked.

"No, but we have the official papers from her real parents in an envelope, though we've never opened it. I'll go get it." Mr. Hayashi stood and left, returning with a large, old looking envelope. He handed it to Akane. "Here. You should open it."

All eyes were on Akane as she opened the envelope. Several pieces of paper fell out. A few were official documents, one was a handwritten note, and a couple were photos. Akane shook the envelope again, and a tiny package fell out. 

She picked up the package and unwrapped it. A necklace fell out into her palm: a thin gold chain, with a small gold disk the size of a dime. She held it close to her eyes, and saw that the gold disk had a design etched into it: a sun, with thin vines curling around it to form a circle.

Mori's eyes widened. "That's the symbol of the Katonozuka clan. The sun represents life, while the vines represent the beginning and ending. Only one person is allowed to use this symbol: the head of the Katonozukas. It has been law and tradition since the beginning, hundreds of years ago."

Akane stared at the disk. "So, what does this disk mean?"

"It means that, official documents or not, you are the last and possibly final daughter of the Katonozukas." Mori finished.

The entire room was quiet. Kyoya stared at Akane in amazement. Who would've thought that sweet yet stubborn Akane Hayashi would be the heir to one of the most powerful clans in the history of human civilization?

All of a sudden, thought hit him. "Wait, Mori-senpai. You said a group of people wiped out the Katonozukas? If we know about Akane, then it's only a matter of time before they find out as well. And they'll come after her."

Mori nodded grimly. Even Tamaki and the twins were at lost for words. Akane, however, raised her head. Her brown eyes were as hard as stone, and she radiated an ancient, raw power. "Let them come. They are the reason I have no true family. They are the reason I'm all alone in this world. Let them come. I will be waiting, and I will kill every last one of them, just as they did to my own family."

She gave off such a sense of power and fury, Kyoya felt a little uneasy. 

Mori laid a hand on her shoulder. "No, that's not a good idea. You cannot stand alone. You will fall if you do. If you are to fight, then you must win support. We will be there for you, if you need us. Both the Haninozukas and the Morinozukas. Life was good under the Katonozukas, and we will fight to have it back."

The twins grinned. "Count the Hitachiins in, too."

"And the Suohs." Tamaki remarked.

"I'm not much help, but I'll stand with you, too. After all, what are friends for?" Haruhi smiled.

Akane smiled back. "Thanks, you guys." Suddenly, she stood and walked over to Kyoya, kneeling next to him. "You don't have to help if you don't want to. It'll be dangerous, for you and your family. And I wouldn't be able to bear it if any of you got hurt because of me."

Kyoya sighed. "Akane, you're always so headstrong. I'm sure your ancestors would be proud. But the Ootoris will stand with you as well. After all, we owe you a huge favor. This is our way of saying 'thank you'."

Akane's eyes shone. "No. Thank you, Kyoya-senpai. It was thanks to you that I ever joined the Host Club in the first place. I owe you a lot, too."