The sun was shining on the forty-third Ouran Fair as Masae arrived at the opening ceremony. She was a bit late– she hadn't shown up for the carriage ride exhibition– but couldn't dredge up the effort to care.
Even when she had to turn off her cell phone to stop the Hosts from blowing it up, she couldn't make herself get dressed faster. She would apologize when she saw them.
The orchestra was already playing by the time Masae stepped out of her car, bidding her driver a good day. Gliding across the courtyard, late, wearing an eighteenth-century French gown– at Tamaki's request, of course– Masae tried to keep her head up. She felt stared at. Though, she couldn't tell if it was because of her costume or because everyone knew that she was the daughter of a filthy embezzler... She just had to get through the day, then she could go home and hide.
"Big sis!" The gruff voice could belong to no one but Kasanoda. Masae turned until she found him, surrounded by girls.
Masae walked over to him. She recognized most of the girls from the Host Club, but couldn't remember ever talking to them.
"Wow, that's such a pretty dress!" Said one of the girls.
"Yeah!" Another agreed, giving her an appreciative once-over. "The Host Club really goes all-out with their themes!"
Masae was so surprised to be recognized by them that she was momentarily lost for words. She just smiled in appreciation and hoped that they understood her gratitude. What was wrong with her?
Kasanoda seemed to be thinking the same thing, tilting his head a little as he squinted at her. "Uh, hey, big sis," he said carefully. "You sick or somethin'? I didn't see ya on the carriage ride in."
Ah, so she was obviously out of sorts. Masae tried her hardest to smile. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Have you seen the Hosts?"
"Not for a while." Whether or not he believed her, Kasanoda did her the favor of not pressing the matter. He looked around at the other girls, who agreed that they hadn't seen the Hosts either. Kasanoda pointed at a group of people in the distance. "Renge's over there, though."
Masae saw her, dressed in a similar gown of a pink color. "Oh, yes. Thank you."
Wordlessly, she strode away from the group.
"Uh... Catch up with ya later, big sis," Kasanoda volunteered. Masae didn't respond to him, barely sure that she'd heard him properly.
When she approached Renge's group, she found herself lost for words once again.
Renge was entertaining a small group of girls, just like Kasanoda had been, but with more ease than the gangster boy had found. Though she was only processing snatches of conversation, from what Masae could hear, Renge was talking about one of her light novels. She had found her people.
Masae lingered on the outskirts until Renge noticed her. When she did, the girl let out a shriek that made some of her friends jump, and pushed through the group to get to Masae.
"There you are!" She said shrilly. The warmth of her hands made something in Masae jolt, and she found more clarity with Renge than she had anywhere else. "We were all so worried about you!"
"You were?" Asked Masae. Her voice sounded quiet.
"We were! Now, come on, the others were making themselves sick wondering where you were!" She began pulling Masae away by her hands, turning to wave to her friends as she went. "Where were you, by the way? I didn't think robots like you got sick!"
"Not sick," said Masae simply.
Renge scoffed. She pushed open the doors to the salon of Ouran's central building and, along with the cool air conditioner, a shower of rose petals rained down on them.
ČTEŠ
Comes up Roses
Fanfikce[OC x various OHSHC] || Seventeen year-old Masae Aoki doesn't believe in love; and why should she? Her mother ran away, leaving her to be raised by her father and his much-younger second wife, and she works as the secretary to a club false adverti...
