Ouran High School Host Club Fan Fiction ❯ The Host Boat ❯ An unexpected game of pool ( Chapter 3 )

*DISCLAIMER* Ouran High School Host Club was created and is owned by Bisco Hatori. She gets all the money…I get reviews…that is all. Enjoy!

 

~Author's Note~ Ok, I said I was going to revise the last chapter, but I have decided not to. I'm too tired, and it'd just be strange to try and revise it now. I like it that way, darn it! I'll just fix Kyoya next time he shows up.

 

Well, this chapter ended up being a Tamaki chapter…which I happen to like, but I promise more chapters of different characters. I think the next one will be a twins-happy chapter. Interesting…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The Host Boat

 

Chapter 3: An unexpected game of pool

 

 

CLICK - Attention passengers! This is your cruise director, Ryoichi! Tonight is our stop in Okinawa. A four course dinner will be served on our private beach, followed by a limbo contest! Don't miss it! The docking boat leaves at 7:00pm, and dinner is served at 7:30pm. Bring your appetites and your bathing suits, `cause you're in for a good time! See you there! - CLICK

 

Haruhi had stopped reading her book, interrupted by the loud obnoxious voice that invaded her private solitude. Sighing, she sat up from her position on the couch and placed the bookmark, saving her spot in her book. She looked up at the clock on the wall that showed the time. 5:13pm in digital lines flashed once and became 5:14pm. She had kept to her room now for the passed three hours. As much as she wanted to stay in her little sanctuary, she knew that she needed to venture out.

 

If anything, she could just try to make her way around the ship, learning what was on it, and where everything was. She might even find a spot on one of the decks outside. It could be a relaxing alternative to the couch in her room. She slid her sandals onto her feet and grabbed her key card off the top of the T.V., sliding it into her shorts pocket. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and left the room.

 

The elevator showed many decks, but luckily there was an outline of the ship inside. A deck that seemed interesting was one that showed a library, lounge, restaurant and…billiard room? How could someone play pool on a ship? Wouldn't the swaying make the balls move? She sighed, pushing the appropriate button. Rich people would probably find a way to get what they wanted.

 

The elevator moved quickly, and opened at her chosen deck. Stepping out, she turned to the left and just walked. No better way to get to know a place than by walking around, right? The first room she hit was the library. Very interesting in her consideration. This would be a very frequented room. The next room was the lounge, filled with leather chairs and couches, with a bar and bartender at the end of the room. The bartender smiled at her and asked if she wanted anything. She declined, and continued on.

 

The next room was closed off by glass doors, and passing through them, she found Tamaki holding a pool cue while studying a pool table. At her entrance he glanced up and his serious contemplation of the table turned to a look of elation and joy.

 

“Haruhi!” he said excitedly running to her, dropping the large stick to the ground with a cracking sound. She held up her hands in front of her, anticipating the coming embrace. He slammed into her with less force than she thought he would, but the embrace was still tight and a little awkward for her.

 

“Haruhi! I'm so glad you've come! Did you come just to see me!?” he asked with a huge grin on his face as he leaned away from her. His hands still held her arms, and she contemplating what his reactions would be as to how she answered. She chose honesty.

 

“No,” she said bluntly. The grin vanished and he disappeared, reappearing in the corner of the room. “Sempai…” she groaned out. She approached him and heard mumbling.

 

“Haruhi is so mean…she doesn't care about Daddy…she wished she had never come here…” Truthfully, Haruhi was starting to regret her decision to come to the room, but she just sighed and put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Tamaki-sempai, you are overreacting.” It was then that something hit her. “Sempai, why are you playing pool all by yourself?” Tamaki turned an ashen face over his shoulder.

 

“Because no one else wanted to play. But it's ok! I'm used to playing by myself.” He stood balancing on one of the chairs he was next to as the boat moved. Haruhi heard a mechanical noise and turned back to the table.

 

“What was that?” she asked, her legs shifting slightly to maintain balance. Tamaki now looked as if he were in the best of moods.

 

“Why Haruhi! Of course it is the mechanism that keeps the pool table level at all times!” One of his arms crossed his abdomen, while the other balanced the elbow that held his hand to his chin.

 

“Is there such a thing? How very odd…” she stated. Before she knew it she was grasped to Tamaki's chest yet again, as he spouted off about how cute her commoner mind was at not being able to grasp the necessity of `such a thing.' However, this time while against him she smelled something. It tickled her nose and made chest tingle slightly. Very strange…

 

He released her and walked over to pick up his pool cue, which rolled slightly on the floor and made him chase it. Finally catching it, he turned to her, holding the cue out to his side like some sort of hero with a staff.

 

“Do you want to play a game with me?” he asked with a bright smile. Haruhi was about to decline, wanting to explore the ship some more when she remembered what he said earlier. I'm used to playing by myself. Part of her wondered which smile was on his face when he said that…the real one or the forced one. She then imagined him by himself, playing pool in a large mansion alone because he was forced to live away from his family. In the split second it took her to remember these things, she rejected her first impulse.

 

“Sure, I'll play…one game,” she said smiling. He looked like he was about to jump her again, but instead he turned to a rack that held many pool cues, choosing a smaller lighter one for her to use. “But I have to tell you,” she said, taking the cue offered to her, “I've never played before.” A dark shadow came over his face and his eyes began to have an unearthly glow.

 

“You've…never played before?” a strange low voice asked from Tamaki's mouth. Haruhi shook her head slowly and nervously.

 

“Then I'll teach you!” Haruhi sweat dropped as Tamaki returned to his normal self. Haruhi clutched the pool cue closer to her body, but took a few steps closer to the pool table. Tamaki was taking all the colored balls and placing them in the triangle. She knew the basic object of the game; she wasn't stupid. She had just never played before. Tamaki lifted the triangle from the table and set it in the seat of a chair.

 

“Do you want me to break?” he asked, holding the white cue ball in his hand. Haruhi nodded her head, knowing that she could learn by watching. He moved to her end of the table, placed the ball on the dot, and bent over, focusing as he positioned his cue. He slid it back and forth between his fingers a few times, before shooting it forward. The white ball shot across the table and crashed into the triangle of balls, scattering them everywhere. A red ball and a ball with a green stripe plopped into the corner and side pockets. Tamaki smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

 

“Well, it looks like I get to choose!” he said, but then he opened his eyes, looking straight at Haruhi. “Or you can choose!” he asked her. “Do you want to be stripes or solids?” Haruhi looked at the table, the positions of the balls, and was utterly confused.

 

“Um…solids?” she said uncertainly. He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

“Then I'm stripes.” He walked around the table until he stopped near where the white ball had ended up.

 

“You go again?” she asked.

 

“Yeah, if you get a ball in the pocket, you get to go again.”

 

“Oh,” she stated simply, and watched as he aimed again. His face made a weird serious look as he bent over, his lips pursing out in concentration. Well, whatever he did, it worked, as he sank another ball. Two more made it in, before he finally missed a shot and it was her turn.

 

Haruhi walked up to the table where the white ball was closest, and looked to where the other solid balls were. There were more of them on the table. Most were blocked by the rest of Tamaki's striped balls, but there was one she thought she might be able to hit. She looked down in the pool stick in her hand.

 

“Here,” Tamaki said, leaning over next to her and holding his cue. “Rest it on your thumb, and balance it with your finger. Try to hit the center of the ball.” Haruhi nodded and did as he said, yet when she hit the ball, it went off to the side instead of straight ahead. She furrowed her brow. Haruhi hated when she wasn't able to do something.

 

“Here,” Tamaki said grabbing the ball and placing it where it had been. He grabbed Haruhi's hand, molding it the way he wanted around the thinner end of the stick. He went behind her, grabbing her other hand and holding his over hers on the fatter end. When he leaned over, his chest pushed against her back.

 

It felt different this way somehow, like she was in more control of the cue. She also felt warm….and that smell was there again, tickling her senses. It was probably some kind of cologne, but she hadn't smelled anything like it before.

 

“Move it back and forth to aim it,” he said, using his hands on hers to slide the cue back and forth between her fingers. His face came really close to hers. “Put the point of the cue right in the center of the ball.” She moved the cue slightly down, his hands on her helping her steady it. “You got it?” he asked.

 

“Yes,” she answered. Suddenly, a strong motion and power gripped her hands and pushed forward, shooting the cue ball straight ahead. It hit the orange solid ball and it crashed into the pocket. Tamaki released her hands and Haruhi stood up straight, a strange excitement filling her.

 

“You got it in!” Tamaki exclaimed, running over to the pocket. Haruhi smiled, feeling unexpectedly proud of herself.

 

“Yeah, I did,” she said grinning. Tamaki's face blushed slightly, an Haruhi was reminded of what had happened. “Thanks sempai! You helped me get it in.” Tamaki's blush grew deeper and he fumbled with his fingers.

 

“Well, I didn't do a lot…” he said.

 

“So, it's my turn again?” she asked. He smiled again and nodded. She moved over to the white ball, bent over, held the cue, aimed and shot. A dark green ball crashed into the corner pocket. Haruhi jumped up and exclaimed, “I think I'm getting the hang of this.” She turned to Tamaki, whose eyes were wide and mouth agape.

 

They finished out the game, which had become unexpectedly close, but Tamaki won out in the end.

 

“Congratulations, Sempai. That was more fun than I thought it would be.” Haruhi handed him her cue and he replaced it back on the rack.

 

“I…I'm glad you had fun. You're pretty good,” he said, then with a sly, hero-Tamaki smile, he added, “But I suppose that is because you had a marvelous teacher!” Haruhi laughed a little and waved.

 

“See ya. I'm going to walk around a little before we leave for dinner.” She made her way to the door, but as she opened it, she heard Tamaki behind her.

 

“Um….Haruhi?” he asked. She stopped and turned around. “Will you play again…sometime?” He held his cue in both hands, and looked rather embarrassed for some reason.

 

“Sure.” She smiled and walked out.

 

She didn't see the sweet smile that crossed his face, or hear the deep breath he exhaled. She couldn't possibly know the rate at which his heart was racing.

 

 

END OF CHAPTER

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

*SIGH* Oh well, at least I liked this chapter. I hope everyone else liked it! The next chapter? I'm thinking something like An strangely interesting limbo contest. At least that's what I'm thinking. And I promised twins! So it'll be twins. After that…probably a Kyoya again. We'll figure it all out. And don't worry, if you like him…maybe Ryoichi the Cruise Director will make an appearance…hehe. Annoyingly perky, like a tour guide. Oh well.

 

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS CHAPTER! Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!

 

~chosuki